Not Waiting For Daylight To Start
by FictionChic
Summary: "Emmett won't ever admit his fear and could carry on as if nothing is wrong," Alice trilled, "Even as a vampire, that's not healthy." It's been eight months since Kit Algren moved to Forks, four months since sh—Emmett Cullen, a vampire, had fallen for a human girl. So, things had always been a bit complicated, but…never like this. Sequel to 'Over The Midnight Moon'.
1. Prologue

**The Morning After I Killed Myself**

 _The morning after I killed myself, I woke up._

 _I made myself breakfast in bed. I added salt and pepper to my eggs and used my toast for a cheese and bacon sandwich. I squeezed a grapefruit into a juice glass. I scraped the ashes from the frying pan and rinsed the butter off the counter. I washed the dishes and folded the towels._

 _The morning after I killed myself, I fell in love. Not with the boy down the street or the middle school principal. Not with the everyday jogger or the grocer who always left the avocados out of the bag. I fell in love with my mother and the way she sat on the floor of my room holding each rock from my collection in her palms until they grew dark with sweat. I fell in love with my father down at the river as he placed my note into a bottle and sent it into the current. With my brother who once believed in unicorns but who now sat in his desk at school trying desperately to believe I still existed._

 _The morning after I killed myself, I walked the dog. I watched the way her tail twitched when a bird flew by or how her pace quickened at the sight of a cat. I saw the empty space in her eyes when she reached a stick and turned around to greet me so we could play catch but saw nothing but sky in my place. I stood by as strangers stroked her muzzle and she wilted beneath their touch like she did once for mine._

 _The morning after I killed myself, I went back to the neighbors' yard where I left my footprints in concrete as a two year old and examined how they were already fading. I picked a few daylilies and pulled a few weeds and watched the elderly woman through her window as she read the paper with the news of my death. I saw her husband spit tobacco into the kitchen sink and bring her her daily medication._

 _The morning after I killed myself, I watched the sun come up. Each orange tree opened like a hand and the kid down the street pointed out a single red cloud to his mother._

 _The morning after I killed myself, I went back to that body in the morgue and tried to talk some sense into her. I told her about the avocados and the stepping stones, the river and her parents. I told her about the sunsets and the dog and the beach._

 _The morning after I killed myself, I tried to unkill myself, but couldn't finish what I started._

~ _ **Maggie Reyer (WritingsForWinter on Tumblr)**_


	2. Alive

**Forks, Washington. Thursday, September 4th, 2005:**

 _Tick._

 _Tick._

 _Tick._

 _Tick._

"How are you doing today?"

Kit shrugged her right shoulder, sinking into the soft suede brown couch, closest to the wall, with dark orange and red throw pillows. Across from her, next to a large desk, was a matching brown armchair.

It was a small space. Next to the couch, there was a small round table with books about self-love and courage on top as well as a box labeled ' _Coping Skills_ '. There was a small bookshelf and atop that, it held a large notepad, a cup of pens, and a dim lamp.

In the corner of the room was another desk that held a coffee pot, a few boxes of decaffeinated tea, and a plastic bowl full of marbles.

"Kit?"

Kit flicked her eyes up, meeting a pair of brown eyes, thick lashes coated with black mascara. The woman who sat across from her in the brown armchair wore gray pants and a lavender shirt that showed off the sun damage on her chest. She had ginger brown hair that was pulled into a fancy knot at the back of her head. She always looked like she had run the mile with the constant tinge of rosy pink under her tanned white skin. There was a wedding ring on her finger and she looked young and peppy.

This was her therapist, Rachel.

"Are you not feeling well?" Rachel asked worriedly, "I know your Thursdays are _really_ long. Do you need something?"

"M'okay," Kit mumbled. She shrugged her right shoulder again, "Um," she glanced to the left, then back, "I'm nervous about…Saturday"

This was what Rachel had been waiting for her to say. Kit could tell by the way she nodded and regarded her curiously.

"Right," Rachel drawled, "You're seeing your boyfriend for the first time since going home."

"Yes," Kit exhaled softly. She looked down at her lap, "Um, his family, too. I think Emmett's…he's coming to get me with Carlisle."

"Do you think Dr. Cullen's presence will make this easier?"

"I hope so," Kit admitted, "I mean," she sighed, her breath catching, "I don't know. They've all been really nice to me even though I haven't been talking to them. Emmett's sent me…" she stopped again, biting her lip, "Um, he's done it before, I think. T-they were really pretty and stuff and Alice brought me some really comfy clothes that they don't wear anymore and that was really nice."

She was wearing a couple of the clothing items, now.

Rachel nodded softly, waiting for her to continue.

Kit bit her lip, "I—I feel like I sound stupid—I'm just anxious. I'm scared that they'll make fun of me or look at me like I'm stupid."

"Have they done that before?"

Kit pressed the heel of her hand to her eye as she began to tear up and she sniffled, reaching out when Rachel handed her a tissue.

"I don't know," she whimpered. She gasped out a sob and coughed once, "No."

"What is it, Kit?" Rachel implored when she said nothing else, "Tell me what you're thinking."

Kit took a minute, struggling to put her thoughts into words.

"I…feel—I'm a mess and I'm scared that I'll be too much of a problem or too much to handle and then Emmett will break up with me or I won't be able to go around them, anymore," her face crumpled further, "I-I'm trying, but I k-know M'not the same and I'm scared they'll be m-mad at me."

"Well, first," Rachel started, scribbling something down, "What have I told you about insulting yourself?"

Kit took more tissues from the pastel blue box that Rachel had placed beside her, trying to calm down so that she could talk.

"Um," her brow furrowed as she tried to recall, "That it's…it's…" she began to rub her forehead, then scratched her temple.

' _What is it_?' she thought, ' _I did my homework and I saw Connie all ready_ …'

"The bad one," she tried to force confidence in her tone, "Like, the not good—the bad thinking, right? That one."

When Rachel continued to stare at her expectantly, Kit felt her face crumple again and her body jerked with a sob.

"Hey, Kit? It's okay," Rachel soothed, "It's okay. I know you've been working _really_ hard with Connie. We checked-in the other day. She says you're making progress and everyone is _so_ proud of you."

Kit shrugged, rubbing at her eyes, "I-I guess," she sniffled.

"I'd really like you to try and think of the word," Rachel said gently, "I know I'm not Connie, but I could draw a picture for you?"

Kit shook her head vehemently, "Mm-mm."

The only sounds were her crying and the tick of the wall clock. She had a lot on her mind and she didn't want to spend what was left of her hour, doing her other therapies. She hoped, that if she was quiet long enough, Rachel would tell her the word.

After two minutes went by, Rachel did, her tone reluctant, "It's negative. Negative thinking, Kit."

' _Right_ ,' relief washed over Kit and her body relaxed as her brain registered the word, ' _I'm such an idiot_.'

"Negative t-thinking," she echoed. Her voice was raspy.

"And what did I tell you about negative thinking?"

Kit wiped her nose, her lower lip trembling, "N-negative thinking…leads t-to negative consequences."

"That's right," Rachel nodded, "Before we go on, can you tell me what type of negative thinking that was? I know you've been doing your homework."

Kit nodded, trying to think. Her CBT homework was one she could usually do by herself, but it was still hard to remember sometimes…she had worked on it earlier…

She was given the 'negative' word and she only needed the other one, "Negative…Self-Labeling…?" she hiccuped hesitantly, looking to Rachel for confirmation.

"Yes," Rachel smiled proudly at her when she made eye contact, writing something else down, "That's right, wonderful and that's something we're going to continue to work on. Now, secondly, I've never met Dr. Cullen's family and I can't predict the future of your relationship with them or with Emmett. Do you think they're the type of people who will toss you aside when things get hard?"

Kit frowned at the word 'when', but didn't press it.

"No," she answered, "Emmett's not like that at all," she balled up her tissues, wiping them under her eyes.

Rachel smiled, "I'm not going to lie to you and say that it's going to be easy. You've been through something very traumatic…and you _survived_. Yes, there are long-term effects and I know they've been hard to deal with. There are both internal and external scars, physical, emotional, and mental; but you're healing and you took time for yourself to grieve and process. To get _help_. There's nothing wrong with that and you won't be criminalized."

Feeling more tears build up, Kit pulled out more tissues.

She missed Emmett dearly. She missed Alice, she missed Esme, she missed Jasper and…and…the rest of them.

She had spoken to Esme on the phone a couple of times in the past four months and she had only spoken to Emmett once, thanking him for the—she could picture it in her mind. Pretty, thick green stems and different, colorful blossoms on top in all sort of shapes and sizes. She knew what they were and saw them all the time. She just couldn't think of the word.

Not wanting to dwell on it, she said, "There's nothing wrong with it," she repeated Rachel's words, "And I know I still have a long way to go, but…" she cut herself off, "Maybe I should take some more time? I-I don't know if M'ready," she shrank further into the couch.

"I think the interaction will be good for you," Rachel said in her soothing, therapist voice, "We've talked about how lonely you are and that you've missed Emmett and his family. Think of it like this: when Dr. Cullen and Emmett come to pick you up, I want you to take a moment and evaluate yourself. It's normal to be anxious and a little scared. But if you truly don't think that you can handle it—remember we talked about comfort zones?" Kit nodded. They talked about it often, "If you feel like you're in your panic zone, then it's okay to stay home. You should never push yourself into or past your panic zone."

Kit sniffled and nodded her head in agreement. She always had to take medicine when she panicked and she hated it.

"It's not just him," she continued, biting her lip, "Making me scared, I think. I don't know…I know we've moved and everything, but it's still hard being here, sometimes. Leaving the house is making me really anxious."

She and her family were still in Forks. They had moved further out of town to a new house.

"It's hard," she wiped away another tear, then her nose, "Sometimes, I want to…" she paused, gesturing, "I want to… _go_ or…you know, leave," Rachel hummed, "But I have friends here and you know, that one thing, and I don't want to switch any of my doctors, even if it's irritating, sometimes. I like my PCP a lot," her lips twitched a little when Rachel chuckled knowingly, "And I'd miss Jax and Lex, a lot. They've been really nice and keep making me laugh. Lex wants to make my hair like hers."

"Oh, dear," Rachel laughed and Kit let out a few giggles of her own.

Laughing made Kit feel better. More at ease, more confident. She tried to take a deep breath, coughed once more and wiped away the rest of the tears from her eyes.

Rachel had changed her position to one that was more casual. She was slightly hunched over, her hands folded in her lap. Though, she still held a pen between her fingers and a giant yellow notepad resting on her crossed legs.

"So, you're able to acknowledge that you have a good support system that you don't want to lose?" Rachel clarified and Kit nodded. Support. That's what she had meant to say, "That's great, that's really great. And would you like Emmett and his family to be part of that support system?"

"Well, yes," Kit said, "I really do. I still want him in my life and I know that things will be kind of awkward, but I still love him," she paused, "Um, I can have a boyfriend, right?"

"You don't need my permission," Rachel said softly, "That's entirely up to you and your significant other. However, I don't see why you couldn't still be in your relationship. No one is perfect. You certainly weren't before you started therapy and treatment. As long as he supports your recovery, there's no reason that you're not allowed to have a relationship or be in love. You are entirely deserving of love and care and happiness."

It was hard for Kit to believe those words and it made her uncomfortable to hear them. She showed her discomfort, by glancing to the side, then back.

"Only, with that," Rachel continued, tapping her pen against her notepad, "You need to understand that you're still in the process of healing and you're still very fragile," Kit gaped at her, but Rachel continued, "There are consequences to letting an illness, whether mental or physical or both, become the sole function of the relationship. You don't want to let that direct the movement of your relationship because you're more than that."

In a small voice, Kit said, "I don't want to focus on them at all."

"Ah," Rachel held a hand up, "See? And that's not good. There are going to be times when you need to focus on them. It will do nothing, but harm both you and Emmett in the process if you pretend that they're not there," she fixed Kit with a firm look, "And you know that you can't afford that to happen, right now."

Kit exhaled softly, averting her gaze again. She was sick of hearing that and couldn't wait until she was eighteen…

"You and Emmett need to encounter your diagnoses as any other problem that would come up in a relationship," Rachel said, "Is he aware of them?"

Kit scrunched up her nose, "I think so…and my dad said he wanted to talk to Emmett when he came."

"I think that's a good idea."

"But I asked him not to," Kit finished, "I mean, I know he has to know, but there's things that'd I still like to keep private," she looked at Rachel again, "That's okay, isn't it?"

"To an extent," Rachel said slowly, "You are still entitled to your privacy, but these are all things to think about if you really want Emmett to be in your life romantically. He can't fully support you and could in fact, cause more damage, if he isn't aware of what's going on."

"Oh," Kit said dumbly. She hadn't thought of it like that, "I guess so."

"You don't need to jump right back into the relationship if you don't want to," Rachel said, "Keep in mind that communication is key. You're both individual people. Every relationship has some drama, some issues, but if you and Emmett are willing to be patient, learn, grow and accept that things might not be the same—you might have to make some changes or take it slow—then, I think you'll both be okay."

Kit felt elated by these words. She loved Emmett and she still wanted to be with them. Even before everything had happened, she had never been keen on rushing into things or moving too fast. They had always taken it slow.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. She felt a little better about the whole thing.

"I'll be looking forward to hearing how this all goes," Rachel said, "And you can always call me and leave a voicemail if something happens," she glanced at the clock, "Tell me how your moods are. How have you been doing on your anti-depressant?"

* * *

Emmett bounced his leg so fast, it was a complete blur.

Today was the day. It was Saturday. The day he got to see Kit.

It had been four months since she had come home from the hospital and began her lengthy and hard recovery journey.

Carlisle was in the driver's seat of his Mercedes and kept glancing at Emmett.

"Try and calm down, son," Carlisle sounded both worried and amused, "We'll get there soon. You know, she's much closer, now."

That was true. The Algrens had moved again. This time, they were out beyond Forks, over the bridge of the Calawah river, heading eastwards.

They were basically neighbors and Esme had helped Blake find a house in the midst of Kit's chaotic care.

"I know," Emmett confirmed, "…I know you can't tell me—HIPPA and all that—but, is she well enough—I can hug her, right?"

Carlisle sighed sadly, "Yes, Emmett, of course you can. I'd ask for permission, first. You have to be gentle."

Emmett nodded, glancing out the passenger window. At home, he had done nothing but watch the clock, waiting for it to be a reasonable hour to go to Kit's house.

Alice had whined and protested at being left behind while he and Carlisle went to go pick up Kit.

"I want to see her too," she had complained, "I love her! I don't want to wait here, it's boring."

"You'll see her very soon," Carlisle had soothed, though he understood Alice's impatience, "But it might be overwhelming for her. She might see us and decide to stay home and that's okay. We have to allow her some time to adjust and process."

After that, Alice had relented, going to sulk on the couch in Jasper's lap. The blond wouldn't admit it, but he was just as eager to see Kit. Bella was going to be there, too and everyone was eager to see her. Almost.

"Should I tell her that Rose won't be there?" Emmett asked softly.

While Emmett and Rosalie were slowly working on their damaged relationship, it had been decided by him, Carlisle and Esme—Jasper had put in his two cents as well—that it would be best for Kit if Rosalie wasn't there when Kit came over and kept her distance for awhile.

Seeing her might be too much.

"If she asks," Carlisle instructed, his eyes on the road, "Otherwise, don't bring it up."

Emmett opened his mouth to say okay, but then Carlisle announced, "We're here," and he closed it.

The house they pulled up to, was cottage style and from the front looked to be mostly made out of roof. It was a combination roof, covered with dark gray asphalt shingles and strips of brilliant white at the trim. One was a peaked dormer roof with three horizontal windows in the middle, and the other one acted as a large peaked door roof, held in place by thin, square three white beams.

The house itself was made of horizontal lap siding, the color of a cloth sail and the door was a simple light wooden two panel bottom door. At the right, there were three square-shaped glass block windows. In front of the door was a brilliant white railing, though the porch step was a wide slab of concrete, barely three inches tall.

"Are you ready?" Carlisle shut off the car and they sat in brief silence.

Emmett took a moment to compose himself, gazing at the new house. Getting out of the car, he took a deep breath, mostly out of habit.

Blake must have heard the car doors slam because he had swung open the front door before they had even reached it. The scent of lemon scented bleach hit his nose. It was so strong, it burned.

Emmett slowed his steps by a hair, using this time to look at Blake, looking him discreetly up and down. He looked better to an extent. He still had the same shaggy hair and wore a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. It was black and had some kind of white, articulate design in the middle. It looked like he had gained a little weight and there were some tired lines on his face. He still looked quite young and much more healthy, but his blue eyes behind his glasses weren't as bright. They weren't dull with sadness like they had been. No, he looked worn out.

"Kit's in the shower," he said in a way of greeting, then gestured for them to come inside, "Come in, please."

Emmett had taken two steps inside, when from seemingly out of nowhere, a white blur shot out from somewhere in the house.

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Emmett blinked stupidly. Barking and jumping enthusiastically at his heels, was a tiny white dog wearing a sparkly pink collar with a gold, heart-shaped tag that jingled with every movement.

"Well, hey there," Emmett knelt down, letting the little runt jump into his arms.

Once he had straightened up, the dog squirmed, barked and wagged its tail, putting its small paws on Emmett's shoulders.

"You got a dog?" Carlisle inquired, petting its back.

Blake rolled his eyes, " _Indigo_ got a dog," he corrected, "My brother's doing. His name is Sparkles. He's a Maltese poodle mix, I think."

' _Of course the kid named him Sparkles_ ,' Emmett thought, amused, ' _But Blake's brother_? _Damn_ , _I didn't know that he was still around_.'

He had known for awhile that Blake had an older brother. Kit had told him on a Monday, a few days before—she had told him that with the help of Google, phone books and some things she found in the attic, she was able to track down Marcus Algren to his law firm and leave a message with his assistant.

Thanks to Edward, Emmett knew that Blake had knocked Mark on his ass when he showed up, but Emmett wasn't sure what had happened after that.

"Here, I'll take him," Blake held his arms out and Emmett passed Sparkles to him.

"Okay, Sparkles, go…"

While Blake spoke to the dog, Emmett looked around the interior of the house.

Walking in the front door put Emmett and his father right in the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. It was a grand space, the flooring was all sleek red oak hardwood.

To the left of the entry-way was the designated dining room. A simple six-piece black dining set with a light fixture hanging above it.

To the right of the open space, was the living room. Same fawn tan colored Lawson-style sofa, same coffee table, side table and television. Though the lamp atop the side table was different.

In the left corner, right across from the dining room, was the kitchen. The way the long island was positioned in the middle, kept the room from being one muddled, confusing space.

The kitchen was much smaller. Besides the island, there was a long granite counter, built into the wall. There were appliances atop it and in the middle, the counter was broken apart by the oven, then continued at angle, then went towards the right where the refrigerator was tacked onto the end. There was a white door a few feet away from the fridge.

Behind the island, were beige carpeted stairs and Emmett could hear the shower running as well as footsteps coming from upstairs. He figured that to be Everly and the much smaller footsteps belonged to Indigo.

"You're home is beautiful," Carlisle commented before Emmett could and he settled for making a sound of agreement.

"Thank you," Blake said sincerely, "Your wife was a big help," he looked around as if he didn't live there, "It's much more homey. It's called an open-concept."

He didn't say anything else about the house or the open-concept, leaving the air to become very tense.

Emmett cast his eyes down to the shoes he was removing, but not for long. When Blake cleared his throat, Emmett looked up.

"Why don't we sit down and talk?" his tone was suggestive, but his eyes told a different story, "It's been awhile."

Emmett took the bait, "Yes, it has been."

"Go, sit," Blake urged, waving a hand towards the couch, "I'll get a chair."

Emmett glanced at Carlisle who nodded at him, his expression serious. Emmett followed him to the couch and took a seat as they waited for Blake to join them.

He did, using a chair from the dining room set to sit across from them. He folded his arms across his chest.

Despite Blake shooing him off earlier, Sparkles came wandering back into and shook himself off. He looked at Blake and went to sit at his feet.

"Carlisle," Blake started acknowledging the blond first, "My daughter adores you, my wife and I respect you greatly. You saved my daughter's life and continue to do so. You've done a lot for our family…more than I can say. And I mean no disrespect when I say this to your son," his eyes switched over to Emmett "But I'm not going to pretend that I'm happy to see you."

Emmett's eyes widened, put off by the hostility. Four months ago, Blake had tearfully admitted that he was glad Kit had him. Now, Blake looked like he couldn't stand the very sight of Emmett and Emmett couldn't understand what he had done wrong.

He had done his absolute best to respect Kit's need for privacy. Was it the flowers? He had only sent them a few times and the cards had just been the automated one that stated who they were from and why they were sent. He hadn't thought of that being too big of a deal. Kit had called him once to thank him, the third time he sent them, but he wouldn't have minded if she hadn't called. Had that been it?

"Things are getting better," Blake continued wearily, "And they continue to get better…but…" he shook his head, looking Emmett in the eyes, "Son, I need you to understand that Kit is _sick_."

Emmett nodded slowly, feeling it was best not to speak. He was aware.

"Kit feels moderately well a majority of days," Blake spoke in a tone that implied he had said this many times before, "But…she's sick. Since being home, Kit's started a multitude of treatments. She's in all kinds of therapy. Talk, physical, occupational, speech—we were lucky, but…her brain damage is still serious, no matter how minor it might be, no matter if the statistics are on her side, no matter how hard she tries to play it off and pretend like nothing is wrong. It's still brain damage."

Emmett forced himself to take a deep breath and he nodded again.

"It's small things," Blake said, "But it's noticeable. She suffers from anomic aphasia—she blanks on the names of simple things, has trouble recalling words or numbers. Names, too. Especially when she becomes overwhelmed. Try and be patient with her. There's a little dysphagia—trouble swallowing, but that's gotten a lot better. Really, therapy has helped her a lot. If she takes it slow, sometimes, she can manage to walk by herself, but her left side is still really weak and she's a fall risk. Her therapist said she doesn't need to use her walker, anymore. At least, not all the time, and she's been working on standing by herself for longer periods of time, too. She describes it as feeling like she's always going to tip over. So, she can stand as long as she holds onto something."

"There are some memory issues," Blake cleared his throat, "But again, with help, that's starting to get better. Slowly. We're still not sure if it's physical or emotional trauma that's keeping them suppressed," he shrugged, "One memory, can bring back a thousand. As always, we're doing our best to stay positive. It's good for her."

"Of course," Emmett mumbled, just because it seemed appropriate.

Blake bobbed his head to the side, "There's some other things, too, but like I said, she's making progress every single day," there was a measure of pride in his tone, "Upstairs is hard for her some days…and that's not only due to the brain damag—

Blake cut himself off and Emmett noticed tears welling up in his eyes as he tried to compose himself, taking a deep breath.

Emmett stole a glance at Carlisle, but he was looking at Blake, his eyes soft and pained.

"Um," Blake's voice was higher in pitch, "Her lungs," his voice wavered, "We-we worry about them."

Emmett nodded again. It had taken over a week to wean Kit off the ventilator.

"It's called pulmonary fibrosis," Blake choked out, "There's…" he waved a hand, "Some complications that comes with that and you're aware that she's also in…" he had to take another moment, "In kidney failure."

"Yes," Emmett whispered.

Blake sniffed and cleared his throat again, "Um, that's been really hard on her. Really hard, but she's getting treatment for that, too. We're all working to get her on the transplant list, but—watch out for her left arm—um…" he cut himself off again. Rubbing at his eyes, he looked towards the stairs, "Look, you have to watch her. She overexerts herself often and she gets _so_ tired—she wants to be normal again."

He fixed Emmett with a contemplative look, "It's a lot of work, Emmett. There's so much more—it's not that my wife and I don't care about you, but…" he leaned forward, "I'm worried that Kit is going to try and force herself to keep up with you and your family. That's exactly what she's going to do. She's still very sick. You need to understand that she's only been home four months. She's not reached full health."

"I understand," Emmett said firmly.

"You don't," Blake frowned at him, "There are days when she is really, _really_ sick and gets frustrated. The medication she takes trashed her immune system. She's not going to tell you if she's not feeling well. In fact, Kit wanting to go with you is the first time she has willingly left the house in weeks save for her treatments."

Emmett wasn't too keen on Blake's tone, "What do you mean by that?"

Blake leaned back as if in challenge, "You can leave," he said, "You can leave, right now and I won't ever tell Kit you showed up here."

"Blake," Carlisle said disapprovingly, his tone borderline defensive.

Blake held up his hands, "You can't come back into her life and—Look, I know not seeing her for months wasn't your choice and thank you for respecting that, but you can't come back and then leave when it gets too hard…and it's _going_ to get too hard. If you only want to be her friend, then that's fine, too. Maybe you guys can be phone buddies. But if you want to break up with her, then do it now. Don't stay with her because you feel like you're obligated to or when you get too far in, not wanting to break up with the sick girl."

Emmett's mouth fell open and he stared at Blake, dumbfounded. Before he could stop it, he growled defensively, making Sparkles shoot up from his position on the floor.

"I love her," he glared fiercely at Blake, "More than anything! She's alive—

"And you would think things would be easier," Blake interrupted him, "But they're not. Kit is doing her best to work and take care of her body and be more independent, but she needs constant care. She's on a lot of medication. And she was just released from Children's two weeks ago. Pneumonia… _again_."

"Children's?" Emmett parroted, "In Seattle?"

"Yes," Blake nodded, "It's where she goes to see her pulmonologist. It's far, but Kit's lungs need the medical care and the only pulmonologist near here is in Port Angeles. That would have been fine, but he treats by numbers, not symptoms and that didn't work for us."

Out of the corner of his eye, Emmett saw Carlisle nod firmly.

Emmett decided to push a little, "She sees a lot of doctors?"

"Yes," Blake said shortly, "A majority of her time, is spent doing medical stuff or resting. I know your family is really outdoorsy, but she's not always going to have time, or be feeling well enough to hangout or go on dates."

"And that's fine!" Emmett hadn't intended to sound so exasperated, so disrespectful, "I would never want her to push herself too hard or put her in a position where she ends up making herself sicker. I'm willing to be by her side and help in any way I can," in a quieter voice, he said, "I love her very much and I'll do anything to prove that. I gave her the promise ring. I want to be with her. I do."

Blake nodded thoughtfully and looked at Carlisle.

His father had taken over the role at Kit's primary care physician and was being so quiet, probably because he knew everything. It irritated him. Emmett was very conscious of the fact that Blake wasn't telling him the full extent of Kit's illnesses.

"Please keep an eye on her," Blake begged Carlisle, "I know you're her PCP and you know what to look for, but I feel better saying it out loud. I know she's going to try to downplay everything and pretend like nothing is wrong, but she had a rough night. She keeps getting those fevers and this morning, her kidney was really bothering her. You can tell because she rubs her lower back. Her hypoglycemia's worse. When she gets too low, she'll at least tell you that. Her vision gets blurry and her hearing becomes muffled."

"I have Glucagon if she needs it," Carlisle assured him in an even, understanding tone, "Is there anything else you'd like me to have on hand?"

"Mmm," Blake hummed, "Actually, I'd like you to have some Ativan with you. She took a tablet this morning, but she's allowed another half tab if she has a panic attack, or gets too anxious and can't calm down on her own. I'll give you one."

Blake stood up, reaching for something in his pants pocket, but suddenly, he stopped and lowered himself back in the chair.

"Oh, and…" he dropped his voice to a whisper, "I don't know if—just make sure you keep a sharp ear out if she uses the bathroom. Everly and I…" he finally pulled his hand from his pocket, showing them a small silver key, "We have special medicine cabinets. They lock. I mean, eventually, we'll have to learn to trust her, but…" he trailed off.

"Yes, of course," Carlisle smiled sadly, "That's completely understandable. Not to worry, I keep all medication with me in my office and there's no reason for Kit to go in there. In fact, we'll all probably stay in the living room. You said upstairs is hard for her."

"Right," Blake nodded, satisfied, "Excuse me, I'll be right back. Come on, Sparkles! Come on!"

The pup stretched and trotted obediently after Blake.

When Blake was out of earshot, Carlisle placed a hand on Emmett's shoulder.

"How are you doing, Emmett?"

Emmett took a moment to process everything he had been told. Some of it, wasn't new to him. He had been aware of Kit's kidney troubles and of her brain damage. She had been on dialysis while still in her coma. He had been aware of her lung damage, too and the pus that had been drained from her lungs.

"I wish Blake would trust me," Emmett admitted, "What treatment is she doing? What meds is she on?" they were rhetorical questions, but still, he said, "I know you can't tell me, but I'd like to know, so that I can help. How am I supposed to help if he doesn't tell me everything?"

"Perhaps he is leaving that for Kit to tell you," Carlisle patted his shoulder, "It's her decision how involved in her treatment and life she would like us. And if she decides to spend more time with us, it will come to a point where we will all need to know these things. There could be days when she comes over and I'm at the hospital. There could be days when she's alone with you or alone with Alice."

"This will happen in due time. Don't force it," Carlisle warned, "Give her time to adjust and open up."

"Okay," Emmett agreed, looking to the left when Blake returned.

Upstairs, he heard the shower turn off.

"Here," Blake handed Carlisle a prescription bottle with the label missing, "It's only half a tab."

"Thank you," Carlisle pocketed the container, "My family is looking forward to seeing Kit. We've missed her very much and think about her often."

Blake, having a much more relaxed demeanor, nodded as he reclaimed his seat, "Yes. She's missed your family, as well. There's been a lot going on, but I'll leave it to her to tell the rest. I've said too much all ready and she'll yell at me if she ever finds out," he laughed, an easy, but still weary sound.

"We won't push her," Carlisle promised.

Blake look relieved at that and he too, along with Carlisle and Emmett turned his head when they heard footsteps descend the stairs.

Upon seeing who it was, Emmett lit up, but Blake pressed a firm finger to his lips, frowning at who had joined them.

Still, that didn't stop Indigo's loud gasp and she bolted towards Emmett.

He chuckled as he swept Indigo up into his arms.

"Look at you!" he gasped once she had settled, "You're taller and whoa!" he made his eyes widen dramatically, "Your hair's pink!"

"My mommy let me do it and I'm only taller a couple of inches," Indigo pulled back to beam at him. Her dirty blonde hair had pink streaks throughout and she threw her arms around his neck, "I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, kiddo," he said sincerely.

Indigo looked like she was doing a lot better. To him, it appeared that Indi was back to her silly, bouncy self.

"Did you get to meet Sparkles?" Indigo asked hopefully, "Uncle Mark got him for me as an early birthday present!"

"I did get to meet him," Emmett smiled, "He's very cute."

Easily satisfied by that, Indigo twisted in his grip, "Hi, Carlisle!"

Carlisle smiled gently, "Hello, sweetheart. How are you?"

"Good!" she said, "School starts on Monday. I'm gonna go to a different one, now."

"Oh, yeah?" Emmett inquired. He knew the Algrens had sued the Quillayute Valley School District and assumed that they had won or settled. There had been an email sent out last week about some big budgets cuts. Principal Greene would still have his job, but under the watchful eye of the superintendent. Bella, Edward and Alice would be returning Monday.

"Yes," Indigo continued, "One in Port Angeles. It's called Hamilton Elementary school. I'm in _fourth_ _grade_ , now! We're hawks and I still get to see all my friends at soccer!"

"Cool!" Emmett grinned at her, "Are ya' nervous?"

"A little," Indigo admitted shyly, "But I think it'll be okay," she looked back at Carlisle, then back at Emmett, "Are you here to see Kit?"

Emmett couldn't stop the frown from twitching at his brow, but he smoothed it away into a cool expression.

Kit, she had said. Kit, not Kitty.

"Um, yeah," he said, "I am."

"Okay," Indigo nodded, "Well, be extra careful with her, okay? She gets really tired and she throws up a lot."

"Indigo!" Blake burst out.

The last time Emmett had seen Blake scold Indigo, she had gotten teary-eyed, but this time, she scowled, whipping her head around to frown at her father.

"She does!" she whined, "She did, when she came home, yesterday," she turned back to Emmett and he saw Blake sigh heavily, pinching his nose, "It's…" she looked at Carlisle again, "It's a complication from the _dialysis_ ," she enunciated the word, "Right?"

Carlisle's face fell and he hesitated, "I—yes, that's right, sweetheart."

" _I'm right_ ," she confirmed to Emmett with a satisfied grin, "And she's on a bunch of other medicine, too. Oh, and be really careful, she falls down, sometimes. Oh, and her left arm—

"Okay, Indigo," Blake rebuked her with a sigh, "That's enough, now. He gets it."

"You said I could help!" Indigo scrunched her nose, "I'm helping."

"Well, why don't you go help your sister find something to wear, instead?" Blake suggested, "You're getting too big to be picked up, anyway," he smiled at Emmett, "You'll spoil her."

"Being carried is _much_ better than walking!" Indigo declared sassily," and Emmett grinned. He didn't mind picking her up, "But okay, I'll go help."

"Don't tell her that Emmett's here, yet," Blake said firmly, "I mean it."

"Okay."

Emmett set her down and patted her on her head, "It was nice seeing you, kiddo."

"You too," she said, "Am I going to see you more, now?"

"I sure hope so," Emmett said honestly.

"Go upstairs, Indi," Blake instructed, "I'm not going to tell you again."

Indigo huffed and sulked upstairs, but not before she shouted for Sparkles to follow her, who ran barking up the stairs.

"She's doing a lot better," Blake confirmed Emmett's earlier notion, "She's so happy to have Kit home."

"Yes, I'm sure she is," Carlisle's eyes were kind, "She…

' _She throws up a lot_ ,' Emmett repeated Indigo's words. Sure, Carlisle had confirmed it was a complication of dialysis, but he was ashamed that a part of him, had first thought it was due to Kit's eating disorder.

Blake hadn't mentioned how that was going. Was she eating? Had she gained weight? Was she getting treatment for that, too? Because she threw up from her dialysis, did that mean she didn't make herself throw up? Was she still hiding food?

There was a light knock that came from upstairs, sounding clear as day to Emmett's vampire hearing as he broke out of his thoughts.

" _Kit Kat_?" that was Everly, " _Are you doing okay_?"

" _Mhm_ ," it had only been a hum, but it was Kit's voice and it made Emmett waver where he stood as he listened more intently.

" _Do you need me to get you anything_?" Everly persisted.

" _Daddy told me I could help you pick out an outfit_ ," Indigo added eagerly.

" _I'm doing okay_ , _right_ , _now_ ," Kit responded from inside the bathroom, " _Did you find my black socks_?"

Her voice had changed. It was quiet and timid. Like she was afraid she'd be yelled at or punished if she said the wrong thing or spoke out of turn.

" _Oh_ , _they're in the dryer_ ," Everly responded, " _I threw all your clothes in the laundry_ , _last night_. _I'll get them_. _Indi_ , _go wait for your sister in her room and don't turn all her stuff around like you did last time_."

More footsteps descended the stairs, breaking up whatever Carlisle and Blake had been discussing. Emmett hadn't been paying attention, latching onto the sound of Kit's voice. He couldn't wait to see her.

Everly appeared and Blake cursed under his breath, rushing over to her. He didn't make it. Everly had looked up and gasped before he reached her.

Emmett's mouth lifted up in a half smile, "Hey. Long time no see."

Everly's lips pressed together and it looked like she was going to cry, her eyes growing wet as she went to embrace him.

Emmett wrapped his large arms around her. She smelled of the lemon bleach that permeated the house.

"Hi, honey. I'm so glad that you're here," Everly said with such honestly, into Emmett's skin, "Kit Kat's missed you. You're good for her."

"Thank you," Emmett let his arms drop to his side when Everly released him.

Everly looked like she had lost some weight. Her blonde hair was thrown up atop her head and she had the same tired look that Blake did. Except she also looked determined, like she was constantly plotting something.

Everly said hello to Carlisle, then fixed Blake with a dark look. With her hands on her hips, she scolded him.

"I can't believe you did this when Kit asked you not to," she hissed, "She's not going to be happy.."

"She'll get over it," Blake argued, equally quiet, "She needs to understand that I'm trying to keep her healthy," he mimicked his wife's defensive stance, crossing his arms, "You know, I'd prefer her to stay here. I don't even want her going. She's not going to take care of herself. She's going to want to keep up and force herself to keep up, when her lungs—her body—

"Ugh, I'm not doing this again," Everly threw her hands up, "I need to get Kit her socks," she placed a hand on Emmett's arm, going back to a sweet tone, "Kit's going to be very happy to see you, honey."

"Me too," he agreed, "Your house is beautiful."

"Thank you," Everly smiled at him, "I think so, too. It's much more comforting, don't you think?"

Emmett nodded. It had a more welcoming feel to it and there were family pictures on the coffee and the side table, some hanging on the walls where Everly's artwork was also displayed.

Everly's smile slowly fell from her face as she glared at Blake. Playfully, she pointed a warning finger at him, "Behave yourself, Mister."

Rolling his eyes, Blake pretended to draw a halo around his head with his finger.

Emmett heard a door upstairs open. It was Kit. He could tell by the sound of her heart and her scent.

It had changed too. No longer, did the scent of white tea and chamomile permeate her blood. The soothing scents were muted, almost nonexistent, overpowered by something that made Emmett's nose wrinkle and not in a good way.

He hated himself for thinking it, but Kit's blood smelled very unappealing. Bad, if he dare say it.

He recalled a passage about kidney disease that he had read on a medical website: _Your kidneys filter waste and excess fluids from your blood, which are then excreted in your urine. When chronic kidney disease reaches an advanced stage, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolytes and waste can build up in your bod_ y.

So that was it? Kit's blood was full of waste that her body couldn't get rid of on it's own.

He heard Kit's footsteps steps were slower, lagging and sounded uneven.

Everly came back from the laundry room, a pile of clothing in her hands. She said nothing, but glared at Blake as she passed, still doing so as she headed up the stairs.

"Kit, Emmett's here!" she shouted, louder than necessary. Emmett saw her throw another glare over her shoulder before she disappeared completely.

He heard no verbal response from Kit and nervously, he looked to Carlisle, searching his eyes for an answer to a question he hadn't asked.

"Ah, don't worry, son," Carlisle nodded encouragingly at him and told Blake, "He's quite nervous."

"I'm sure," Blake mumbled, looking distractedly towards the stairs.

It was silent between the three. Intensely silent as they all waited for Kit to make an appearance.

Indigo came down first, her little dog yipping happily behind her and she bounced over to stand by Blake.

" _Mom_ , _stop_ , _I've got it_!" Kit hissed impatiently.

Emmett rubbed his lips together, getting antsy.

Another thirty seconds passed. Then, he saw her.

She was holding tightly onto the stairwell with one arm, placing both feet on each step and waiting three seconds before going down the next one. She was looking down in concentration, making it so Emmett couldn't see her face.

Her hair was pulled away from her face into a simple ponytail. He had seen her hair pulled back before. He had expected to see her dressed in one of her fun skirts and pretty tops.

Instead, she was wearing black leggings, a loose gray v-neck over a light pink shirt and over that, she wore an unzipped navy blue hoodie that looked too big for her as well. On her feet, were not a six-inch pair of patterned stilettos, but a pair of pink and white lace-up sneakers.

He had never seen her dressed so casual. Still, it suited her and he was delighted to see a familiar chain around her neck. He couldn't see the charm, but he knew that she was wearing her grandmother's locket again.

When she got off the last step, her breathing was more forced and she wavered. Everly, being closest placed her hands on Kit's shoulders as Blake stepped forward to help, but Kit quickly shrugged her off.

"I'm okay," she promised in her new, quiet voice.

Finally, she looked up and Emmett felt it.

Warmth spread throughout him as he took in Kit standing there. There were dark bags under her green eyes that looked too defeated and exhausted on her young, freckled face. She was so pale, she rivaled his own skin tone. There was none of her warm ivory flesh tone, the paleness making her freckles look darker.

And she was _so_ thin. Emmett couldn't spot any muscle mass. All her bones jutted up sharply, her clothing loose where it shouldn't have been. There was a tiny gap between her thighs. Her left arm hung uselessly by her side.

But she was alive. She was alive and she was here and she was breathing and her heart was beating. She was alive and he loved this woman with his whole soul. Sick or not, she was still beautiful, she was still Kit and he couldn't dwell on that for long because all his brain could process was that he loved her and she was here, right in front of him.

He must have been staring at her too long, because looking at the ground, Kit mumbled, "I-I don't get a hug…?" her voice trailed off to an uncertain whisper.

' _She's tiny_ ,' Emmett began to approach her, chanting, ' _So tiny_ , _be careful_. _An egg_ , _a baby bird's egg_. _That's what she is_.'

When he got close enough, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her. Her right arm came to wrap around him.

Everly, Emmett noticed, kept a hand on Kit's back, steadying her.

He held her for a long moment, feeling her heart beat against him. Her heart that had almost stopped beating under his father's hands. He felt her warm breath on his skin. She was still warm and her skin was still soft.

"Hi," he whispered, choking back a sob.

"…Hi," Kit whispered back.

"I missed you."

Emmett took a chance and allowed himself to hold Kit tighter. Just by a hair. She clung to him with feeble strength and he ran his hands over her bony shoulders and settled his arms at the middle of her back.

"I missed you, too," her voice was full of emotion and Emmett closed his eyes, "I missed you so much."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** **Hello and welcome to the sequel! It's quite lengthy, but I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. I got a lot of positive feedback on the prologue and so many heartfelt messages. Thank you to everyone who reached out and I'm so excited to continue Kit's story. I know you have a lot of questions, but they will be answered in due time!**

 **Little bit of a sidenote: For ' Over The Midnight Moon', I used song lyrics for the chapters and I think for this story, I'm going to go with single words just because.**

 **So, that's it. Don't forget to review and I'll be posting outtakes on the first story, soon. Let me know if there's on you'd like me to write and I'll try my best.**

 **\- FictionChic**


	3. Reunited

Sitting in the back seat with Kit, Emmett had her tucked against his side, stroking her hair. Kit held his hand, toying with his fingers while Carlisle had reclaimed the driver's seat, throwing glances in the rear view mirror every minute.

No words were spoken, but that was all right. It was a comfortable silence.

When Emmett let his fingers trail down Kit's hair, touching her temple, she giggled quietly and shifted against him.

"Cold," she murmured.

Emmett cocked his head to the side and shared a glance with Carlisle before he dropped his gaze back down to Kit. She wasn't looking at him, but had her head on his chest, looking absently out the window.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "You know I run a little colder, baby."

It felt so right to use his term of endearment for her and he grinned, showing off his teeth when she peered up at him, smiling shyly.

When she tilted her head back down, Emmett's grin faded from his face.

In a voice that only Carlisle could hear, he muttered, "She _does_ remember that we're vampires?"

He had expected an abrupt, " _Of course she does_ , _Son_!" or maybe a casual, " _Don't be silly_ , _Emmett_! _Give her some credit_."

Carlisle said neither.

"I'm…not sure," his voice was troubled, "I'm also her doctor, Emmett. Our nature doesn't really come up during our appointments when I'm supposed to be checking her vital signs."

Emmett didn't comprehend this. Kit…she _had_ to know. Brain damage or not…memory loss or not; how the hell could it be possible for Kit not to remember that they were vampires!? Was it really a possibility that she had forgotten what had happened when they had all played baseball? Did she not remember James or Laurent and how terrified she had been? She had threatened to throw herself from his Jeep when Edward had tried taking them away. Victoria was still out there…

It had been when they first kissed.

He looked out the window, everything flashing by in a blur. While he could still see every leaf, every raindrop, every speck of dirt, it didn't erase the fact that Carlisle was going well over the speed limit. The needle neared 100.

Just when he was about to make a comment about the speed, in hopes that Kit would take a hint, Carlisle spoke up.

"We're almost there, Kit," he told her gently, "We're getting close to the house, now."

Kit pushed on Emmett's shoulder in order to sit up fully.

Emmett could hear her heart start to race and she bit her lip nervously, her grip on his hand tightening.

After a moment, she let go of his hand and brought it to her necklace. She pulled on the chain, tugging out the locket pendant that had slipped underneath her shirts. She looked down at herself, adjusting it, until it lay over her clothing and faced the right way.

Emmett spotted something that made his breath catch, "What's that?" he was weighing the pendant in his large hand.

Swinging on the chain, was the promise ring he had given Kit at the garden. He fingered it, letting the locket pendant hang by itself.

"What?" Kit sounded genuinely confused, "…You gave it to me."

"Well, yeah," Emmett said obviously, "You put it on your grandmother's necklace?"

She simpered, "It…my fingers are too…" she wiggled them, "…It can't fit," she shrugged one shoulder, averting her gaze.

"We're here!" Carlisle announced cheerfully before the awkward silence could settle.

Emmett opened his door and when he shut it, having stepped out of the car, Carlisle did the same.

"You can give her a hand, Emmett," he said, nodding slightly towards Kit, "I'll go make sure Alice isn't going to break down the door or jump through the window."

Emmett laughed, the sound cutting off when he saw Kit getting out of the car. She was holding onto the door with her right hand, her left hand loosely wrapped around the door handle. She looked like she would fall over any second.

He went around to meet her and not wanting to make a big deal out of it, he fixed an easy grin on his face.

"You're not planning on going in without me, are ya'?"

"No," she turned her head, looking up at the house with awe. Her heart was beating wildly and she had her lip between her teeth again.

He took her right hand and tugged gently, getting Kit to come to his side. He let go of her hand, putting his arm around her shoulders, keeping her steady.

He closed the passenger door with his foot, grimacing when he heard Carlisle scold him from inside.

"You ready?" he asked her, and she nodded slowly in reply.

The walk up to the house was a slow one. It had been different watching Carlisle help Kit to the car when they had left her house. It had looked so natural.

He carefully adjusted his arm around Kit's shoulders. She favored her right side, leaning heavily into him. Not that he minded. Her left foot struggled to keep up.

Bending his head, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head right before they reached the door. Everyone was waiting in the living room and Edward was at his piano with Bella, while they all pretended to be casual.

Carlisle had instructed everyone to be patient, but as soon as Kit walked through the door, Alice couldn't help herself and ran forward at a human speed to greet Kit, stopping right in front of her.

Emmett had never seen his sister look so uncomfortable. She stood there, her arms raised, but she looked scared.

Kit who had her lip between her teeth again, shifted against Emmett.

"Um," she said quietly, "You can hug me, Al—

With exceptional gentleness, Alice pushed Emmett aside and threw herself at Kit, letting a whimper escape her throat.

Emmett recovered easily and placed his hand on Kit's back, just like he had seen Everly do.

Kit wrapped her right arm around Alice when she whimpered again, "It's all right, Alice…"

Alice nodded against Kit's shoulder, "I missed you," she whispered, pulling back to kiss her cheek.

Emmett glanced at Jasper. He was all ready altering the mood, taking away Kit's anxiety and making her feel welcome and more at ease.

"I missed you, too," Kit replied and went to hug Esme, who looked like she was going to cry.

"Hello, sweetheart," Esme squeezed her, "I'm so glad that you're here. I missed you, so, so much."

That continued on for five more minutes. Kit hugged everyone while she was told how much she was missed and finally, Emmett was able to take her to sit down and relax. Her breathing had gotten a bit harsher.

They were all gathered in the seating area near the TV. Edward and Bella had moved from the piano to join them, occupying the chairs and couches along with Esme and Carlisle. Alice and Jasper sat on the floor.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Esme asked.

Kit hesitated and Emmett watched her carefully.

"I'm doing well…" she said nodding, "Doing better."

Esme beamed, "Oh, that's wonderful!"

"Yes," Kit said.

She didn't smile back at Esme or continue. Emmett had also noticed, that when Everly and Kit said goodbye, they said "I love you." And that had been it. There was no "Yes possible/Not possible." No, "I love you more." or any of the mantra Emmett was so accustomed to hearing.

A lot had changed, apparently.

"You look like you're doing better, sugar," Jasper said kindly.

Kit didn't comment on the nickname and scooted closer to Emmett. She ran her right hand over her hair lightly tugging on the end of her ponytail.

"I feel better," she confirmed, "Not 100%, but…" she trailed off with a shrug, "Each day is, um…it's getting better."

Alice was getting impatient, "What have you been up to?"

Kit blinked, "…What do you mean?"

Emmett thought Alice would look confused by Kit's question, but instead, she perked up.

"Tell me what's new in your life," she said eagerly, "Do you still draw?"

"Oh," Kit nodded, relaxing, "Yes, I did..." she shook her head, " _Do_ , I mean," she was clearing starting to become uncomfortable.

When she didn't say anything after that, Bella said, "You're homeschooled," she reminded, her cheeks pinking.

The scent of her blood increased in the room and Emmett swallowed thickly. He was getting used to Bella's scent and it didn't bother him as much as it had when he had first encountered her.

"Oh!" Kit gasped, "That's right, thank you," she lightly hit her forehead, "I'm such a scatter brain."

"You're homeschooled?" Esme's eyes were wide, "Really?"

"Yes," Kit laughed, a weak sound, making Alice and Jasper smile.

Emmett could feel the emotions that Jasper was pushing at Kit. It worried him. Was Kit so incredibly anxious that Jasper had to make her this present and talkative? Talkative or not, Kit still spoke very quietly.

"I stared last week," Kit continued, speaking mostly to Esme, "My mom homeschools me and," she glanced off to the side, then said, "I have to," she paused, only for the briefest second, "Um…I have to… _do_ my Sophomore year again, but my mom's a good teacher. I was surprised, but don't tell her I said that."

Laughter bubbled around her and Kit looked embarrassed.

"It's kind of nice," she bit her lip, fighting back a smile, "I get to, um, sleep in late and stay in my jammies."

"Well, lucky you," Alice scowled at her, "We," she gestured to herself, Edward and Bella, "Still have to go to regular school and won't get to see you."

Emmett looked at Kit again, gauging her reaction. She had looked down, but had a faint smile on her face.

"Yes," she mumbled, "But…we text, sometimes."

Esme gaped, "You three are _texting_? You're texting Kit when she's supposed to be in _school_!?"

"Well, we don't—"

"No!" Alice said firmly, interrupting Kit.

Catching on, Kit gasped, "Never," she giggled, stifling the noise with her hand.

Emmett chuckled. Kit was so cute and he hoped that he would hear her giggle more often.

Esme didn't look happy and folded her arms across her chest while Carlisle chuckled beside her.

"I never write them back," Kit quietly defended herself, flushing, "I'm a very good student and I like. To learn," she flicked her eyebrows at Alice who stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

"She texts me _all_ the time," Alice told Esme, "On her mom's phone and I personally, don't think it's appropriate considering I'm getting ready for my nervewracking senior year of high school."

When she finished her speech, Kit rolled her eyes towards Alice, "Because you're _so_ worried about your grades?"

"Yeah, Kit, I am!" Alice declared, "And you would be too, but you're texting all the time."

"I'm not!" Kit laughed, a true Kit laugh and everyone joined her.

Despite Esme having laughed, she still scolded her children and that included Kit.

"No texting during school," she warned them all, "I mean it."

"Okay," Kit agreed. She snickered, "I promise. Unlike some people, I don't get the—" she stopped again, "I…I...didn't go to school a million times."

' _Oh_ , _thank God_!' Emmett cleared his throat to keep from screaming the words to whoever would listen.

That's all he needed was that one comment. While he couldn't say for certain that Kit was confirming she knew they were vampires, it was confirming that she knew they weren't human and that was enough. Though, he still liked to think that he knew his girl and he knew that she knew.

"A million times," he groaned, deciding to interject, "I can't even think about that."

"Hey," Jasper said, "You're done, for now."

"That's right!" Kit said, her eyes widening, "You graduated. I forgot."

"It wasn't anything special, sugar," Jasper assured her, taking away her guilt, "It was boring, actually."

"Emmett, she's cold," Edward informed, disguising the words as a kiss to Bella's hair.

Emmett nodded. Wordlessly, he pulled the afghan from where it was hanging over the back of the couch, draping it over both himself and Kit.

Kit pulled the afghan further over herself, "Still," she said to Jasper, "My parents and I could have sent a card or something.

"How are your parents?" Esme asked. She worried about Everly, Emmett knew. The two had grown close during Kit's stay in the hospital.

"Better!" Kit said, sounding very relieved, "They're doing a lot better."

"That's good to hear," Esme snuggled into Carlisle's side, "Vanessa, too?"

"Yes!" Kit said happily, "Yes, she is. I talk to her a lot more, now. My godsiblings, too and that's really nice. I missed them a lot. Um…" she was still picking at the afghan, "My parents and I spend a lot more time together…more than before if you can believe it and I get to see Indigo a lot more, now."

"With her fun pink hair?" Carlisle asked warmly.

Kit nodded, still smiling, "My mom let her do it. She loves it and has so much fun with it. She's still in soccer and she starts school soon, I think."

"She's so cute," Alice chirped, "I miss her. Does she still feed the cats?"

"No," Kit sounded disappointed, "No, there's not a lot of them near the new house, but when I feel well, we go to the park or just outside and we play. Well, I watch her play," she corrected herself again, "With Sparkles."

Seeing Bella's confused look, Emmett said, "The dog."

"You got a dog?" Bella gasped, "When?"

"I don't remember," Kit said, "I didn't know. I came home once and he was just there. My uncle Mark got him for my sister—he's been staying with us, sometimes, but he's on a business trip, right now. He had to go back to…um…where he was before. To his office, I think."

"That's great, Kit," Bella said sincerely, "I want meet your dog, sometime."

Kit nodded, "Um, we do, like family dinners," she shrugged, "We were always doing them and cooking together, but my dad's mentioned inviting you and your dad to come, if you want."

"Really?" Bella's eyes widened in surprise, "Yeah, that'd be nice. Charlie would love that. He can't cook to save his life and he gets tired of leftovers."

"I'll let my parents know and we'll plan something," Kit promised.

Sighing dramatically, Emmett glanced up at the ceiling longingly, "I guess _I'm_ not invited."

Kit laughed again, but it sounded weaker than the first time, more forced.

"You don't e-ea-a—" she coughed a few times into the crook of her arm, "Y-you—" she tried to speak again, but was cut off by more coughing.

It was a dry, hacking cough and it sounded painful.

Emmett grew concerned when Kit doubled over where she sat, her cough growing louder and more aggressive.

"Kit!" he placed a hand on her back.

"It's all right," Carlisle was the only one who looked calm. He stood up and came to kneel in front of Kit.

A minute and three seconds went by before Kit's coughing came to an end in a shaky whimper. She remained doubled over, her back heaving under Emmett's hand as she gasped for breath. He could feel every ridge of her spine.

Emmett began to rub her back in firm circles and slowly she sat up. Her eyes were closed, her heart was beating fast, and her cheeks were pinker than the rest of her face that had flushed during the ordeal.

When Carlisle took Kit's right hand to check her pulse, Kit opened her eyes and pulled her hand away, hiding it under the afghan.

"I'm fi—it's okay," she panted, "I…had a little…cold a c-couple weeks ago," she cleared her throat and coughed once, "It's fine."

' _A little cold_!?' Emmett's eyes widened, ' _What is she talking about_!? _Blake said it was pneumonia_!'

"Kit—

"I'm okay…Emmett," Kit's breath was still forced, "Really."

She rubbed one of her eyes that had watered, glancing up when Carlisle stood.

"Would you like a little water?" he asked.

In a second, Esme appeared in front of Kit, holding a glass of water that she had fetched from the kitchen.

"Here, this might help," she said, holding out the glass.

"Thank you," Kit took the water, but didn't sip from it, "I feel better, all ready. Um, sorry—I'm sorry about that."

"You don't need to apologize," from the floor, Alice jumped up and went to sit at Kit's other side, lying her head on Kit's shoulder, "You sure you're all right?"

Kit nodded immediately, placing the glass between her thighs, "Just a cough."

Emmett looked at Carlisle. Like him, he was frowning slightly.

"If you say so," Alice closed her eyes, "I'm glad that you're here, Kit."

"Yes," Kit's voice was barely a whisper. Her picking became more insistent and she reached down, pulling down the sleeve of her hoodie over her left arm, that lay flat on her lap, her palm facing the ceiling.

Emmett could tell that she was trying hard not to move it. Sometimes, her fingers would twitch.

"So, never again?" Carlisle asked gently and Emmett's eyes widened at the invasive question.

Kit laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound like earlier. It lacked any positive emotion and was laced with discomfort.

"Nooo," she said. She bit her lip, still picking at that stupid afghan, "Never," she sighed, "Never again," her lips became a thin line.

"Look at me, Katherine," Carlisle whispered firmly.

Emmett frowned deeply. He had never quite put Kit's full name together, but now, it was obvious. He'd come back to that later. Carlisle's eyes were full of so much pain and grief. Kit had almost died under his hands. Literally. Emmett knew that would haunt his father for the rest of his existence.

Kit finally stopped picking at the afghan and she flicked her eyes up.

"Never. Again," Carlisle's voice wavered and Kit nodded quickly. His eyes were unmoving.

"Yes," she muttered, still holding his gaze.

.

.

.

.

That evening, Carlisle drove Kit back home so that she'd make it in time for dinner. Emmett tagged along, sitting with her in the back.

Carlisle hadn't even started his car, when Kit settled against Emmett and fell asleep.

"I guess she wore herself out," Emmett commented, kissing Kit's head.

' _I don't know how_ ,' he thought worriedly, ' _She just sat there_.'

Maybe it was from the coughing. Afterward, she had reacted to things a lot more slowly and seemed much more tired. Still, things had flown into a light and easy conversation and Emmett had gotten Kit to laugh a few more times. So did Jasper.

She kept stumbling over her words or stopping in the middle of her sentences. Emmett had helped her out a couple of times, but it only appeared to make Kit more frustrated, so, he had kept his mouth shut and Kit had gotten quieter.

With Kit asleep, he told his father, "I don't know what to say. It's—I almost don't know how to act in front of her."

"Yes," Carlisle said, "Believe it or not, that's quite normal. When a loved ones become ill, it's a shock and it's hard to know what to do, what to say, how to react, what questions to ask. Some people talk openly about their illnesses and others prefer not to speak of it, at all. That's up to Kit."

Emmett nodded. He was immortal and never had to worry about getting sick or dying. He never got so much as a paper cut, let alone a cold or a terminal illness. After sixty-nine, almost seventy years of being a vampire, the concept of illness was odd to him.

"Despite all that, whether Kit chooses to speak about her heath or not, her blatantly lying and downplaying things is something that's not acceptable."

Carlisle spoke firmly and Emmett was surprised by the tone he used. It was one of a coven leader and one of a father.

"It's very dangerous for her," the blond continued, "It's something I'll speak to her about, privately."

Emmett looked down at Kit, sleeping against him. He wanted to ask more about the coughing, but knew it was something Carlisle couldn't tell him.

He sighed, frustrated.

As if reading his thoughts, Carlisle said, "I know it's frustrating, son, but this is a process. You have to be patient."

Emmett grimaced, "That's not really my forte."

Neither was worrying, but in the hours he had spent with Kit, all he did was worry, worry, worry. It was driving him crazy and he didn't get it. Kit's health was something out of his control and usually, he would have left it at that and moved on with his eternal life.

"It's something you'll grow accustomed to," Carlisle assured him, but it wasn't comforting, "The more you're around, the more you'll fall into the routine. It's normal to fuss and fret and worry too much. Try to treat her as you usually would. Which means you need to let her figure out some things for herself."

Emmett made a sound of agreement, willing himself to snap out of this worrying reverie.

There was a long silence and Emmett closed his eyes, listening to Kit's breathing. In her sleep, it sounded too fast, the rise and fall of her chest proving his theory.

Carlisle pulled into Kit's driveway, putting the car into park, "Emmett, do you—oh."

Emmett felt a stupid smile crawl across his face. Kit, asleep against him, was clutching his shirt with feeble strength, looking quite comfy in spite of Emmett's stone-like skin. If Emmett moved, Kit would slump over.

"I'll get her," Carlisle offered, climbing out of the car, "Get her seat belt?"

Emmett unbuckled it, the sound not disturbing Kit in the slightest. Carlisle had the door open and Emmett leaned away, allowing his father to gently take his mate into his doctored, practiced arms.

Carlisle cradled Kit against his chest, propping up her head where his still heart lay beneath his granite skin.

Emmett got out of the car and shut the door. Kit stirred a little and Carlisle hushed her, heading towards the house where like earlier that afternoon, Blake had the door open.

"I thought she'd be sleeping," Blake smiled fondly, "Put her on the couch, please."

Emmett recalled a similar situation only sometime ago. Kit had fainted in gym class and he had carried her to the car, then inside her old house, lying her gently on the couch.

Upstairs, Sparkles started barking.

"It went well," Carlisle was saying as Emmett removed his shoes, "No serious anxiety," he pulled the Rx bottle out of his pocket, "However, she did fall into a coughing fit and her cheeks have remained pink since then. She's been asleep since we left the house."

Emmett frowned, joining his father by the couch. What did pink cheeks matter? He'd have to look it up online or in one of Carlisle's books.

Carlisle told Blake the gist of what they had all talked about, then informed Blake about Kit's downplay and his plan to speak to her about it.

"I don't think that Ra—" Blake glanced at Emmett, "Everly and I always tell her that she doesn't need to keep a smile on her face all the time, but, yes, feel free to give you're own two cents on the matter. Thank you for picking her up and bringing her home."

"Anytime," Carlisle promised. He shook Blake's hand, "It was nice seeing you again, Blake. My wife sends her well wishes. Everly is always in her thoughts."

"Maybe they can get together, sometime?" Blake suggested with a smile, "They're always gabbing on the phone."

Carlisle chuckled lightly, "Yes, they are," he turned to Emmett, "I'll be waiting in the car."

He left, the door shutting in a quiet click, leaving Emmett alone with Blake and a sleeping Kit.

"Thank you for letting me spend some time with her," Emmett stared down at Kit's sleeping face. He used to like watching her, but now it made his granite stomach twist. He had watched her sleep for eighteen days…

"We had a good time," he continued before his thoughts could, "It's nice hearing her laugh again."

He expected Blake to scoff or mutter under his breath, but when he didn't anything, Emmett looked up.

Emmett didn't need to be Jasper to see that Blake was bathing in profound distress. His posture sagged, his mouth twisted in a sad scowl.

"What's up?" he asked and Blake scrubbed a hand over his face, muffling his groan.

"Emmett," Blake said irritably, "There's…something I need to tell you. Come over here, let's sit down."

* * *

 _Sitting in Carlisle's office, Blake didn't know how to react. He could barely feel himself clutching Everly's hand as she to, stared at the doctors that Carlisle had called in from the bigger hospital in Port Angeles._

 _Kit had only been awake for two days. Carlisle had said that wasn't enough time to asses the level of Kit's brain damage. Kit still wasn't "fully awake", her eyes hazy for the short amount of time she could keep them open._

 _But with Kit awake, Carlisle and the team of doctors were able to asses other things and come up with a whole treatment plan._

 _"The pneumonia and the aspiration have damaged Kit's lungs as Dr. Cullen told you before," Dr. Smith, a black-haired man said, "It's a condition called pulmonary fibrosis and that means scarring in the lungs. But, pulmonary fibrosis is more serious than a simple scar. In pulmonary fibrosis, the scar tissue builds up in the walls of the air sacs of the lungs, and eventually the scar tissue makes it hard for oxygen to get into the blood."_

 _Blake glanced down at the mirage of pamphlets he and Everly had been given._

 _"When she wakes fully and is weaned off the vent, we'll be able to run a series of pulmonary tests on her, determining her lung function as well as her oxygen and carbon dioxide levels," another doctor, one whose name Blake couldn't remember, chimed in._

 _"But…" Everly whispered, then spoke louder, "Dr. Cullen said…she's already in kidney failure."_

 _She said this as if that was an excuse. As if Kit having kidney failure, meant that there was no reason for her to be diagnosed with anything else._

 _"Yes," an older female doctor with short black hair, spoke optimistically, "We're going to keep Kit on the catheter, until I'm able to determine what dialysis access would be best for her."_

 _This was Dr. Huang and she would be taking over the role as Kit's nephrologist. She was located at a dialysis center in Port Angeles. There were no dialysis centers or kidney doctors in Forks._

 _"Dialysis?" Everly parroted. She looked down at the pamphlet in her hand. She had read it a million times._

 _"I know it sounds scary," Dr. Huang smiled sadly, "But she could conceivably live for years on dialysis. This is something we'll all be able to talk about."_

 _This time, Blake repeated her words, "Live for years? But she won't have to," he took the pamphlet from Everly's shaking hand, "It says right here. She can get a transplant," he said this matter-of-factually._

 _It would be easy, he thought. She could apply to get on the list, do dialysis and wait for her name to be called or a pager to beep. Perhaps Carlisle would do the transplant here._

 _However, all the looks that the five doctors in the room shared, swept that possibility from Blake's mind. He didn't understand. It sounded like the transplant idea would fix everything._

 _They all took turns, spouting numbers, statistics, research and percentages, but none of it mattered. It all led up to the same thing and Blake felt his throat swell shut._

 _Kit was dying._

 _"On average," Dr. Smith had said, "Many people with PF live for about three to five years; 20% survive for more than five years, but with the added kidney failure…Kit will be lucky if she gets close to three years. Maybe two."_

 _Tears fell down Everly's cheeks and she let out a sound that was akin to a wounded animal, a drowning gasp._

 _"The transplant won't help?" she whimpered, "K-Kit can't die. Not again," Blake squeezed her hand._

 _"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Dr. Smith continued and Blake pegged this guy as the asshole doctor who just went around breaking bad news, speaking with no compassion, "There are a lot of ethical considerations and that's something you can discuss if you decide to go forward with getting her evaluated when the time comes. It's a very long process."_

 _"From a medical standpoint, I can tell you that pulmonary fibrosis is progressive and that means neither it shows any sign of improvement on its own, nor does it improve with treatment," Dr. Smith cleared his throat, "And that's a problem because to qualify for a kidney transplant, patients are required to have acceptable lung function."_

 _Blake was on the verge of tears and he tried to keep his voice strong, "But Kit will still need to do treatment for her lungs?" when Dr. Smith nodded, he asked, "If it doesn't get better, does that mean she'll need a lung transplant? Is that a thing? Can she get both transplants?"_

 _"There is such a thing as double organ transplants," Dr. Smith confirmed, "Unfortunately, many lung transplant patients suffer from renal problems afterward—a common long-term complication and suffering from kidney failure is a contradiction when qualifying for any kind of lung transplant."_

 _Everly's crying grew louder, but Blake needed another moment to understand._

 _"So, what you're saying is…" he gasped in a breath, "Kit won't be able to get a kidney transplant because of the lung disease and she won't be able to get the lung transplant because of the kidney…?" he trailed off, confused._

 _"Yes, because of the kidney failure. Kit's organ diseases unfortunately make it so that getting a transplant for either, or getting both, contradict each other," Dr. Smith summarized, "I'm sorry. I understand you have more questions, but a transplant is not on our radar right now. There's more we need to discuss—_

The sound of the fridge opening caused Blake to let out a yelp as he jumped ten feet the air.

He barely registered that Everly had let out a startled cry of her own, dropping the water bottle that was in her hand.

"You scared me!" they accused in unison.

"No, you scared me!" they both said.

A laugh bubbled up out of Everly and she smiled tiredly at him, dressed in her robe.

She closed the fridge. Papers covered its front, tacked up by magnets. They were long lists of instructions to follow: when to and when not to call the emergency room, all the numbers to Kit's doctors, her hectic schedule alternating between her different types of therapy, her doctor appointments, when they were needed in Seattle, and all kinds of different pamphlets.

"What are you doing down here, honey?" she asked him.

Blake had to look around in order to answer that question. The sink was empty and there were no leftovers, waiting to be put in the fridge.

"Um," he drummed on the counter with his hands, "I was thinking," he looked at his wife, "What are you doing?"

"Kit woke up with another low grade fever," Everly closed the fridge and headed towards the walk-in pantry, "She wanted some water, but I think I'm going to give her the Pedialyte drink, instead."

"She doesn't like the orange flavor," Blake reminded her, turning his head, "Or the strawberry lemonade."

"I know," Every emerged, closing the pantry door, "It's fruit punch."

She placed the box of Pedialyte Powder Packs on the counter. Kit didn't like the regular drinks. She thought they were too sweet and the Powder Packs came in more flavors. She was still so picky.

Blake stood in silence, watching Everly prepare the drink. She opened the water bottle, then tore open the packet, pouring the powder straight into the bottle.

Everly met his gaze, holding it as she screwed the cap on and shook the bottle vigorously, turning the water dark red.

"I'll get you a cup," Blake said, leaving his place at the island.

From one of the cupboards, he pulled out a small, brightly-colored green cup. There were five of them stacked up all in different, equally bright colors.

They were cups that Everly had purchased at the store in the baby section. Each one held exactly 3.36 ounces of liquid.

These were Kit's night cups. In the morning, she got her morning cups which were darker colored and each one held exactly ten ounces of liquid. These had been purchased in the kids' section.

"Here," he went back to his wife, placing the smaller cup on the counter, "Or does she need more than that?"

Everly looked up at the ceiling, squinting as she counted in her head.

"She didn't have anything to drink with Emmett," Blake told her.

"I'll just give her the one," Everly decided, pouring the drink into the cup, "Six will be too much, right now. She's tired. You gave her, her night meds?"

It was a rhetorical question, Everly knew that he had, but he answered anyway, "Yes."

"Okay," she kissed him on the lips, "I'll be back."

"Okay," Blake stared at her butt as she headed up the stairs.

While Everly was gone, he went to one of the drawers and took out a small notebook that all ready looked worn for the short time that they had it.

He flipped to the page marked _September 6th, 2005_ and with a black pen, he wrote: _10:07PM. Pedialyte: 3.36oz._

He went to the bottom of the page, where he had written _TOTAL:_. He crossed out the earlier number, added it all up and wrote: _23.8oz._

It had been a good day.

Everly had returned just as he put the notebook away and shut the drawer. He went and joined her back at the counter where she abandoned the empty cup without washing it out.

"She drank it all," she said, "And I put a washcloth on her forehead. She should sleep through the rest of the night."

"Good," Blake said. He would check on her when he went up, "And Indigo's asleep?"

"Asleep," Everly confirmed, "How did Kit do with Emmett, today?"

"Ugggghhnnn," Blake leaned his elbows on the counter, dragging his hands over his face, "Emmett said everything went well. Kit hugged everyone, she talked and she laughed. Carlisle brought back the half tab of Ativan. She didn't need it."

"That's great," Everly spoke with a dreamy tone and placed her hand on her heart, "Aww, I'm so happy for her. It'll be nice for her to have him and all her friends."

"She has friends," Blake said, "What's wrong with Alexandra and Jackson?"

"Nothing, they're great," Everly assured, "I like them. What's wrong? You know I adore Alice…"

"No, I know," Blake sighed, "It's Emmett. He's nice and I'm grateful for him and do I think he's good for Kit? Yes, absolutely, but…I don't think it's appropriate for Kit to have a boyfriend, right now. He isn't some knight in shining armor. This isn't one of those cheesy, romance films where he makes everything better or a Nicholas Sparks book."

"Why does it have to be?" Everly asked, "Why does he have to make everything better? Why can't he just make things…okay, sometimes?"

Blake remained firm, "I don't think it's appropriate."

"You know what I think?" Everly leaned her elbows on the counter, "Honey, I think that you're scared and that you want to keep Kit all to yourself."

His eyes shifted to the side and he felt them become glazed with a glassy layer of tears. He tried not to blink, knowing that if he did, tears would slide down his cheeks.

It was his lower lip trembling that gave him away.

"Two years," he pressed his lips together, "Three by a long-shot and even the two has been labeled as a maybe. That's all we get, Everly. That's it."

Everly stared at him. At first, she had cried about the news, but now she felt indifferent about it. It was hard for her to be upset when they had been told that Kit was going to die in her coma. It had been a miracle that she had woken up. How could she be upset at a miracle, no matter how short it was?

Blake knew that he needed to be strong. He needed to gear up and get ready to fight this. Despite what Dr. Smith had said, they still planned to get Kit evaluated and Carlisle agreed to help as much as he could.

They were waiting for Kit to heal a bit more before going forward with the evaluation.

It had only been four months since life had dealt them this hand and Blake was still learning to adjust and cope with it.

Everly went behind him and began to massage his shoulders.

"We have to let her live her life," she soothed him, "She's not only a sick person. She likes to draw and play with her sister and hang out with her friends and listen to music. After everything she went through, she deserves some normalcy. Keeping her home isn't going to change anything. It'll just make her more depressed."

Blake arched an eyebrow. Everly thought _he_ was being overprotective? She treated Kit like a baby and anytime she thought something was wrong, she ran, in a panic, to the phone to call Carlisle.

He said none of this, of course. He tried to chalk it down to Everly being a mom.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he shook his head, "I told him," he admitted, "I told Emmett. Honestly, I thought it would scare him off."

"It didn't?" Everly asked sarcastically.

He shook his head, grumbling, "Emmett got kind of quiet. Kit fell asleep in the car and Carlisle carried her inside, then went back to the car. So, Emmett was alone, watching her sleep and he was so happy to be able to spend time with her, again. I just kind of felt bad…" he twisted around to look at Everly, "So, I told him and he got really quiet."

"Poor thing," Everly interjected.

"He didn't say anything for awhile," Blake recalled this, frowning, "But then he said: ' _So_ , _that's it_ , _then_?' and I said something like: ' _No_ , _we're trying_. _I'm not going to sit around and wait for her to die_ '," Blake's voice cracked, "And he said: ' _Me_ , _either_ ' and I kind of got offended and told him that he should go."

"Blake!" Everly scolded him, "Stop being mean to him."

"I wasn't mean!" he assured his wife, "I made up an excuse that dinner was soon or that Kit had to take her meds. Something like that."

"Blake…" Everly sighed, "He really loves her. I think he actually loves her."

"I can't deal with that," Blake mumbled.

"I don't know what you thought was going to happen when he showed up at the hospital every single day," she moved to Blake's side so that he could relax his position, "No random, high-school fling boyfriend does that. He put no pressure on Kit to contact him or tell him if they were still together. He didn't call all the time or come over when he wasn't invited. You gave him a get out of jail free card and he didn't take it."

"Ha!" Blake snorted rolling his eyes, jumping when Everly whacked him over the back of his head.

"Leave him alone, honey," Everly rubbed the spot she had hit, chuckling, "He's such a sweetheart and Kit loves him."

"I guess…" Blake sighed. He decided to change the subject, no longer wanting to speak about Emmett Cullen, "Are Alexandra and Jackson still coming over, next week?"

"I think so," Everly confirmed, "On Saturday, if she's feeling well."

"Okay, that's fine," Blake nodded, "We'll both be here to keep an eye on them."

"Yes," Everly nodded, "Come on, now, honey. Try and relax. Let's go to bed. Come to bed with me."

"Okay," Blake took Everly's face in his hands. He kissed her once, twice, three times before she giggled against his mouth, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Everly was still giggling.

Hand-in-hand they went upstairs, shutting the lights off behind them.


	4. Apprehension

"…And they said they're going to evaluate me to see if I need hand controls, but I don't think I'll need hand controls. I stand just fine. Not perfect, but I think it counts."

"It counts," Kit confirmed with a smile, rubbing her left knee. She had tripped in the bathroom earlier, having trouble navigating the wide lip of the tub.

"Yeah," Lex said, nodding mostly to herself, "My cousin's taken me driving and I think I do okay."

Alexandra Sakai was sixteen. She was Asian-American, half Japanese and half Chinese. She had a sandy complexion, smooth and tawny. Her eyes were wide set and dark brown. Her hair was a soft black color, the ends dyed a deep turquoise that looked like the ocean. She wore a pair of ripped white jeans and a dark blue blouse covered with small pink flowers and had flowy sleeves.

She sat in front of Kit's oval-shaped mirror, curling her hair and Kit liked watching the big ringlets spill down the front. It looked pretty.

Kit decided to say so, "Your hair looks really good."

"Thanks," Lex chimed. She beamed, "I can't believe I get to start driving soon!"

"Mhm…" Kit's smile turned bitter, "Is your mom scared?"

"Oh my God," Lex rolled her eyes, "Actually, it's probably my dad that's more scared. I feel bad…his eyes got all red."

"Awww," Kit crooned, "That's terrible."

"Yeah," Lex said, wincing when she held the curling wand too long, "But I told you, he's the crier and my mom's not," Kit nodded and Lex continued with a sigh, "I don't know. I think he's worried about me getting in an accident. Also, it kind of sucks because I'll have to start doing my chair by myself," she made a face.

"That's right," Kit gasped, "But you do it now when Jax drives you."

"Yeah, but he'll help," Lex reminded. She shrugged, "I'm gonna practice of course."

Lex was in a wheelchair. It was a custom rigid manual wheelchair with dual-tube, the frame made of titanium and painted a candy blue color. There were tattoo finishes in the design of flowers, which appeared vertically on the front frame tubes and the spokes were silver. It weighed only 9.3 pounds, making it easy to carry it up and down stairs if necessary.

Speaking of Jax…

From her place on her bed, resting against her fluffy yellow bedrest pillow, Kit looked at her cracked door starting to get worried. Jax had been in the bathroom for awhile.

She and Indigo no longer had connecting bedrooms through the bathroom. No, Indigo's bedroom was right across the hall and the bathroom was in the hallway, too, across from the master bedroom where their parents slept. The other bathroom was downstairs.

A few things had changed in Kit's bedroom.

She had the same queen-sized mattress and same simple white bed frame, but her turquoise sheets, pastel yellow comforter and the matching yellow pillows it came with existed no longer. Her new fitted and flat sheets as well as her pillowcases were white dotted with gold metallic hearts. Her comforter was metallic silver. It featured pleated panels that created a textural look on the top of the bed. There were two decorative pillows, a square one with metallic embroidery and an oblong one with fabric manipulation.

There was no more soft cream-colored carpet, but sleek hardwood that matched the downstairs. She kind of wanted carpet, but had quickly learned that it was easier to clean up things on hardwood than it would be with carpet.

There were no more yellow walls that matched perfectly with her bed set. Instead, her walls were painted a light fifties style pink color.

She had let Indigo pick and it had been worth it to see her little sister light up. Because now, their bedroom walls matched.

Her five drawer dresser was the same as well as her white bedside table. Leaning against the wall was no longer her violin, but her dark gray four-wheel reverse walker which was currently folded.

Her bedroom doorknob had been taken off and replaced with a bright silver dummy doorknob that had no lock whatsoever. She supposed she couldn't complain. She was lucky she got a doorknob, at all.

She voiced her earlier concerns to Lex, "Do you think I should go check on Jax?"

"No," Lex shrugged, leaning forward. She spoke with certainty, "He's probably fine."

"You think so?" Kit asked, "What if it's phantom pain?"

Lex still didn't seem too concerned, "I bet he—" when Kit's door opened, she turned her head, "Oh, see, Kit? There he is!"

Jackson Becker was seventeen, lanky and short for his age, standing at 5'5". He had porcelain skin and a mop top of tousled black hair and tapered bangs in a deep side part that was covered by a dark olive green beanie. He had deep-set, gray-blue eyes. He wore black jeans and a denim jean jacket. It was unbuttoned, showing off a black shirt advertising the band Green Day.

He came in using crutches, balancing heavily on his left leg while his right leg stuck out straight, his foot hovering barely a centimeter off the floor.

"What?" he demanded rudely, moving himself to Kit's bed.

"Nothing," Kit said. She watched Jackson push himself to sit on her bed, then lean the crutches at the end, "I was getting worried. You look pale."

"He's white, Kit," Lex said, then giggled at her joke, "I'm hilarious."

Kit body jolted once as she tried to hold back a snicker. She pursed her lips, buying time to compose herself when she saw that Jackson was clearly not amused.

"Screw you," Jackson's face screwed up, "I'm not in the mood."

He then reached down and practically ripped off his right leg, letting his prosthetic fall to the floor. His pant leg flopped over his hidden residual limb and he began to massage it.

He wasn't doing well.

"Jeez, I'm sorry," Lex said, turning briefly to look at Jax with sad eyes, "I was trying to cheer you up."

Kit felt bad. She and Jackson attended the same therapy program. She usually finished her therapies five minutes before Jackson started his physical therapy.

"Do you want me to get my mom?" she asked, "She can bring you Tylenol or an ice pack."

"I'm okay, but thanks," Jax pushed himself back until he was on the bed and he crawled over to where Kit was lying, putting space between them as he rested against the headboard.

She stared at him for a long moment and when Jackson closed his eyes, she turned her head to address Lex who had gone back to curling her hair.

"Lex, you're not done, yet?" she asked primly, "Come sit with us."

"I'll be done in three seconds," she said, letting loose another curl, "And then I need to use hairspray. Don't worry, I'll go to the bathroom."

Kit nodded. If Lex used hairspray in her room, the cloud of mist would travel and get into her lungs, sending her into a coughing fit.

"What're you doing all that for, anyway?" Jackson demanded. He was still rubbing his leg, but had opened his eyes.

"It's my sister's 21st, tonight," Lex reminded them, "My parents are taking us all to a fancy restaurant and I'm not going to have time to do this, tonight."

"It looks good," Kit praised, "Tell…" she stopped, "Tell your sister I said Happy Birthday."

She bit her lip, feeling her cheeks flame. Hopefully, Lex hadn't noticed the slip-up, but Kit supposed it didn't matter if she had. It was still embarrassing. Lex had mentioned her sister a million times.

' _I'm such a loser_ ,' Kit thought.

Lex cheerfully said, "Yeah, I will!"

"Are your parents letting you bring, Juni?" Jax asked, "Or is Lillian gonna throw a temper tantrum?"

' _Lillian_!' Kit exhaled softly, ' _That's right_. _Lillian_ , _Lillian_ , _Lillian_.'

"She'd probably throw a fit, but I was going to leave Juniper at home, anyway," Lex exhaled an irritated sigh, "It's only for a couple hours and because the restaurant is so fancy, I know they'll make a big deal about it and it's Lillian's birthday."

Juniper or Juni, was Lex's service dog.

Feeling a little nauseous, Kit began to rub her forehead, one of her new habits. She was on a number of vitamins and medications, including immunosupressants. Some, she still couldn't pronounce (regardless, she still hated them) and they all came with their own side affects. Nausea, dizziness, diarrhea, vomiting, e.t.c.

She groaned, covering her eyes with her good hand, "I think I'm gonna throw up," she warned.

"Please don't," Jackson said in a chipper voice, "I'm sitting right next to you."

Kit scooted down, so that she was lying on her back. She tried to take deep breaths, keeping her hand over her eyes. She pressed her lips together.

"Don't lie on your back," Lex instructed, frowning, "Turn over on your side. Trust me, it helps."

Kit did as her friend said and maneuvered herself on her right side, facing away from Lex and towards Jackson. She buried her face in the crook of her right arm, her left arm, hanging over the back of her thighs.

"I can't believe they put you on all that crap," Jackson said, "I thought you said you were getting off some?"

"Nope," Kit groaned into her arm. In fact, it seemed every time she went to an appointment, more meds were suggested.

"Please don't throw up," Jackson begged, "I'll puke if you do."

"He will," Lex confirmed, "It's wild."

Kit could hear Lex setting down and unplugging her curling iron. The scent of her burning hair wasn't helping and the heat of the curling iron had warmed her bedroom.

"I'll be right back," Lex undid her brakes, "Want me to get your mom?"

"No," Kit gasped and made a move to sit up. That was the last thing she wanted, "M'fine."

She swallowed, still feeling sick as she struggled to sit up, reaching out to grip Jackson's shoulder for leverage. Sitting up was usually easier, but not always.

"Ow!" Jax cried when Kit's fingers dug into his shoulder, "You're crushing my bones."

"I am not," Kit snickered and leaned her head back, "Drama queen."

"Okaaaay," Lex sang, pushing herself towards Kit's door, "Be right back," she said again.

"She's such a pest," Jax said to Kit once Lex had gone.

"You love her," Kit accused, "She's your best friend."

She didn't need to look at Jackson to know that he was rolling his eyes at her. Him and Lex were always like that, but she supposed it was just their friendship.

"You sure you're okay?" she asked, stealing a glance at him.

"Yeah," Jackson nodded, "My leg's been…" he sighed, massaging his missing limb through his jeans, "I hate that crappy prosthetic. The blisters are getting bad and I was bleeding yesterday. I didn't think I'd ever say this, but I can't wait to get my custom one."

Kit grimaced. Later, Jax would have to put it back on when he left and he wouldn't be able to use his crutches when he went down the stairs as he did when he went up the stairs.

"Therapy's going well, though," Jax said, lighting up, "Is it weird that I feel like outpatient is kind of harder than rehab?"

"I don't think so," she cleared her throat, "Not if that's what you feel."

They lapsed into silence and Kit closed her eyes. Physical therapy was really hard, but it wasn't her least favorite therapy. She loved everyone on her outpatient team, but—

"I guess," Jackson grumbled loud enough for her to hear, "I do like outpatient better, though. Hey, are you sleeping!?"

"No, I'm listening," Kit's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, "You just said you liked outpatient better. I heard you."

"Oh," Jax simpered, "Okay, then. Anyway, the therapists are cool and I like my bus drivers. They're all girls, though. Isn't that kind of weird?"

"No," Kit said thoughtfully, "I don't think so."

"Oh," was all Jackson said.

They lapsed into another comfortable silence and Kit was able to hear footsteps approaching. She frowned when her mother came into the room, the home phone at Everly's ear as she spoke happily to the person on the other end.

"She's right here," Everly said with a smile, "Yes, you too, honey. Okay, here she is," she held out the phone, "It's Alice."

"Is that the girl who brings the clothes?" Jax asked.

"Yes," Kit hissed, taking the phone from her mother, "Thanks, mom."

"You're welcome," Everly nodded, "Don't be too long."

"I won't," Kit said. She had guests over and it wasn't polite. She pressed the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

" _Hi_ , _Kit_!" Alice chimed happily, " _How are you feeling_?"

' _She couldn't just ask "How are you?_ "' Kit thought.

"Good," she decided to answer, "How are you?"

" _Wonderful_!" Alice laughed melodiously, " _I know you're with your friends_ , _but I'm calling because I want to invite you to Bella's birthday party_."

"Oh," Kit said. She felt bad. She couldn't recall when Bella's birthday was, "…When is it?"

" _On her birthday_ , _silly_!" Alice giggled, " _The party's going to be on Tuesday_ —

"Don't forget to write it down," Jax mumbled, again, loud enough for Kit to hear.

"Oh!" Kit gasped loudly, "Right, um, Alice, wait! I need…" she looked around, then spotted what she needed on her bedside table.

The 4×6 inch post-it notes pad were bright, vivid yellow. So bright, that to Kit it looked like a cross between neon poster board and a high lighter. But they were something that Kit's eyes wouldn't miss and that's exactly why her mother had put it there.

"Oh," she said again, realizing her predicament. Her right hand was holding the phone and at this time, it was the only hand she had, "Um…hold on!"

She felt her cheeks began to flush and set the phone on her legs, reaching over to grab the notepad and pen off the bedside table.

They weren't in her hand for long before Jackson took them from her, mumbling, "I've got it."

Kit sighed in relief and touched Jackson's arm before she took the phone and pressed it back to her ear. He was such a good friend.

"Hey, Alice?"

" _Still here_!" Alice said happily, " _Everything okay_?"

"Great," Kit said, "Um…I gave—I have a paper and a pen…?" now, she couldn't recall why she had those things. Obviously, Jackson was going to write something down for her, but she had been so frazzled, she couldn't remember what she and Alice had been talking about.

" _Great_!" Alice chirped, " _Now_ , _Bella's party is on Tuesday at our house_ ," Kit repeated this back to Jackson, " _At_ _7:00PM_ , _but Emmett will pick you up at 6:30PM_ ," Kit repeated this too, " _Does that work_?"

"Um, I mean, I'll have to," Kit gestured, but Alice obviously couldn't see her, "You know… _talk_ to my parents about it," she bit her lip, but…" she trailed off again, something she did a lot.

Alice didn't seem to mind and still spoke in her trilling, cheerful voice, " _Okay_ , _that's_ _fine_! _I'll see you Tuesday_."

"Okay…"

" _Bye_ , _Kit_! _Love you_!" and Alice hung up, leaving Kit to listen to the dial tone.

Kit hung up and dropped the phone into her lap. She looked over at Jackson, eyeing his handwriting on the notepad.

"Thanks," she said.

Jax flicked his eyebrows up, "Yeah," he held out the notepad for her, "You should have asked."

"I—" Kit took the notepad and pen from him, returning it to her bedside table, "I'm working on it."

She steadied the pen, then returned her hands to her lap. She didn't know what to do now.

"Hey," Lex pushed Kit's door open, rolling herself into the room. When she shut the door, she let herself cruise until she reached Kit's bed, "Sorry I took so long. What's going on?"

"You missed it," there was a smirk in Jackson's voice, "Kit got invited to a party."

.

.

.

.

A couple hours later, when Lex and Jax had left, Kit waited until she heard her mom in the hallway and called Everly into her room.

"Are you okay!?" Everly rushed in, "What's wrong? Does something hurt?"

"No," Kit felt bad and frowned, "I didn't want to get up and I had no other way of calling you," she smiled, another bitter one.

"Oh, I—" Everly tapped both her jean pockets, then her hands went to her butt, "Gosh, honey, I'm sorry," she sat on the edge of the bed, "I thought I left my phone for you."

"That's all right," Kit gave a small smile.

"Well, are you hungry?" Everly asked. She checked Kit's alarm clock, "Did you check your blood sugar?"

"I'm not hungry," Kit replied. Truthfully, she wasn't, "And daddy helped me do it a little bit ago. Right after Lex and Jax left. He took the home phone and I don't need anything, right now. I feel okay."

"Do you want to take a nap?" Everly asked, "I can sit with you."

"I can take one later," Kit exhaled softly, "I'm not that—"

She stopped, glancing upwards when Everly laid a hand across her forehead.

"I feel okay," Kit said again, "Really."

"You sure you're okay?" Everly let her hand drop back down to her lap.

"Yes!" Kit huffed quietly, getting a little irritated, "I feel fi—okay," she bit her lip when her mom frowned, "I feel okay, right now."

Everly still looked concerned when she asked, "Okay, then. What did Alice want?"

Kit shrugged, looking down at her left arm, "Um, she asked if I would come to Bella's birthday party…" she trailed off, looking up to see her mother's reaction.

Everly lit up, "That's great, Kit Kat. When is it? You wrote it down, didn't you?"

She was reaching for the notepad and Kit sighed, rolling her eyes as her mom scanned what Jax had written down.

"7:00PM on Tuesday, that's perfect!" Everly was delighted.

"No," Kit protested quietly, "That's my rest day."

Tuesdays were her "rest days" because it was the only weekday when she usually had no appointments.

"But the day will be over," Everly argued, "You'll be done with school and you'll have plenty of time to rest before the party," she skimmed the note again, "So, if Emmett's coming to get you at 6:30PM…" she nodded to herself, "Yes, then that's plenty of time. You shouldn't be sleeping that late, anyway."

Kit scowled and in her quiet, mousy voice, she asked, "What if I don't feel well? What if I get a fever?"

Everly looked wane, "Then you'll have to stay home. I'm sure they'll understand, but you should still get Bella a present. It's Saturday, so, we'll have to go shopping, tomorrow. Tomorrow's Sunday."

Kit's face turned sour. In terms of her kidney, Sundays were hard for her, but she survived.

"We can go early in the morning before you take your meds," Everly suggested, "Or we can go later in the afternoon. Maybe once you've rested a bit?"

" _I_ have to go?" Kit made her eyes wide, pointing to herself, with her right hand.

"Yes, Kit," Everly nodded, "I can't go by myself. I don't know what Bella likes."

"Well, I can't just tell you?" Kit didn't mean to sound so whiny.

"Honey," Everly placed a hand on Kit's knee, "Do you not want to go to the party?"

Kit brought her thumb to her mouth, gnawing on her nail, but not biting it.

After a long moment of silence, she shook her head.

"No?" Everly's eyes widened, "Why not? You just saw everyone the other day."

Kit pulled her nail out of her mouth and wiped it on her leggings. She began to drum her fingers on her knee, then stopped and took a breath through her nose.

"It'll be so much fun," Everly added, "It's going to be Bella's big eighteenth and if she really wants you there, then I think you should go."

"Mom, I—" Kit began to rub her forehead, "I don't—I mean, I don't want to…"

"Take your time," Everly murmured.

"I just mean—what if I faint or something?" she demanded. The fact that this should have been common sense, was clear in her tone.

"Carlisle will be there," Everly reminded, but Kit had known that, "If you start to feel faint, then you can take a seat, have a piece of candy and take it easy. I can give Emmett the Ativan. Just try not to burst into flames."

Everly smiled, but Kit didn't find this very amusing. She couldn't quite place her finger on what was wrong. She was pretty sure that she felt scared or something akin to that.

"I guess," she muttered under her breath.

"I know it's hard, and it's awkward," Everly sighed softly, "But honey, you can't just sit in your room all the time. You need to get up and get out of the house—

"I get out of the house!" Kit interrupted in a quiet cry, "All the time!"

"Well, then, you need to have fun," Everly said firmly.

"I have fun with Jax and Lex all the tim—

"Fun _outside_ of the house, Kit," Everly sighed loudly. This time, she rubbed her forehead, "You don't get to do this. You don't get to—you don't get to just go to appointments and come home, take meds, and sleep. You're seventeen now, and you're doing a lot better. We have a routine and, well, now it's time for you to get a life."

"I don't want to take meds, anyway," Kit grumbled.

"We're not getting into that, again," Everly said dryly, having heard Kit's grumble, "Not right now."

Kit rolled her eyes dramatically, huffing.

"Why are you rolling your eyes at me?"

"Because, mom, it's…it's…" Kit wanted to roll over and throw herself under her covers and stay there for the rest of her life, "Ugh, you see!?"

She very rarely left the house unless she was going to her appointments. If her mom happened to go to the store or something afterwards, Kit would hunker down in the front seat, low enough so that she could hide behind the dashboard.

"Honey, it's all right," Everly began to rub Kit's knee, "You need to give yourself some credit. You're working hard every single day and I can imagine how frustrating these changes are, but you're doing your best to get used it and sometimes, Kit Kat, that's all you can do. Rome wasn't built in a day."

"I guess," Kit supplied, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I think you're situationally depressed," Everly stated seriously, "Maybe I should talk to Carlisle about your anti-depressant."

"Nooo!" this time, Kit did whine, "I'm trying to get off that!"

"Situational depression occurs when an individual is unable to adjust to or cope with a particular stress or a major life event," Everly recited this very quickly, "And letting Emmett and his family and Bella back into your life is definitely a stress event—a major life event since Emmett's still your boyfriend."

Kit blinked at her mother. She was a walking encyclopedia of medical pamphlets.

"No more medicine," Kit begged, "And I hate the anti-depressant, mom!"

"We'll just adjust it a little," Everly assured her as if she were a doctor, "Social support can be extremely helpful. This is about Bella and no one will be paying attention to you. I think that you should go to the party."

"Okay," Kit said in a small voice if only to stop the conversation. It did sound nice and it was Bella's eighteenth.

Her mom must have heard the uncertainty in her voice because she said, "We'll see how Tuesday goes. Shopping, tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"Mmm," Kit looked down at her useless left arm, flexing her fingers, "It…it's a lot of walking, isn't it?"

"We can take your walker?" Everly suggested, "And we'll bring Indi along. Just us girls. It'll be fun. We won't shop in town."

The reassurance was nice, but Kit didn't need to be told that. Because they spent so much time in Port Angeles or Seattle, they rarely shopped in town unless they were in need of milk or aluminum foil. Even then, it was usually her dad who made the quick solo trip to the store.

She really didn't want to go shopping and still didn't understand why her mom just couldn't go. But now, if she said no, she knew it would hurt her mom's feelings and then Kit would feel bad and if Indigo went, then she would want Kit to go and Kit didn't want to hurt Indi's feelings either.

"Um," her words were still weak, "Mom, I—I'd rather go early, I think."

Everly grinned, clapping her hands together. She looked delighted about getting Kit out of the house.

"Great!" she said, "Go to bed early, tonight. I'll have to wake you up early and I'll bring your meds just in case. We'll probably stop for breakfast or lunch. Or just brunch," she laughed at herself.

Kit bit her lip, "We're gonna go _out_ to eat?" nerves laced her tone.

"No, no," Everly shook her head, "We'll stop and get something to go, okay? Just little something to tie us over until we get home."

Kit nodded slowly. She supposed that was manageable, "Okay…"

The beaming smile slowly faded from Everly's face, "Are you sure you're feeling all right? You don't feel nauseous? Is your stomach upset?"

"I feel okay," Kit confirmed. Her stomach felt uncomfortable, but not upset, "It's been a good day, so far."

She closed her eyes when her mom leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

"It has been," Everly agreed with a smile, "Want to come downstairs and watch TV, with me?"

Kit nodded, mimicking her mother's smile, "Sure."


	5. Unsteady

The Cullen house was in full festive preparation mode.

It was September 13th, Bella's eighteenth birthday. The last time they had celebrated a real birthday had been Emmett's in 1935 and now that they had another birthday to celebrate, they were going all out.

Esme was in the kitchen humming to herself as she happily decorated Bella's birthday cake. It was pink and crafted out of several tiers, which personally, made no sense to Jasper considering only two people attending the party would be able to eat it.

Of course he wasn't going to point that out to Alice. Nor was he going to wrinkle his nose at the disgusting scent the cake emitted. It was still a beautiful concoction.

Currently, he was helping his wife with the flowers. Or attempting to. Every single surface was covered in beautiful crystal vases that held flawless pink roses. Around the vases, pink rose petals were scattered, filling in the blank spaces. There were even some sprinkled on the floor.

"I'll take this!" the vase Jasper held, was plucked from his fingers and he smiled a little, watching his wife flit around the room.

Her emotions matched the cause of the crease between her brow: determination and concentration. Alice was determined to make this party perfect. Each rose petal had to be positioned just the right way. Not a centimeter could be off.

Right then, Emmett bounded through the front door, grinning widely.

"Lanterns all done, boss!" he declared proudly. He was as excited about Bella's birthday party as Alice was.

Despite Emmett's cheerful tone, Alice sighed, "Thank you, Emmett. I'll fix them."

"Oh, come on!" Emmett rolled his eyes, "I hung them up _exactly_ how you told me to," he pointed towards the door.

"I doubt that," Alice shook her head, "Never trust an amateur to do the work of a professional," she grumbled, then disappeared.

Jasper laughed at the irritation coming from Emmett. He would think that his brother would be used to this. How could he expect anything less from Alice?

"Whatever," Emmett waved a dismissing hand, "Ma, you need help with anything?"

"No, no," Esme trilled from the kitchen, "I'll be finished soon. Rosalie needs to set out the plates and I'll move the cake to the table."

Immediately at the mention of Rosalie's name, Emmett's emotions depleted down into wariness and dislike.

"I don't know why we're doing this," Rosalie spoke in a syrupy sweet tone, "Bella, ungrateful as always, is just going to _hate_ it. _All_ of it."

After what had…happened, Rosalie was trying to be nice and to her, that meant saying mean things in a nice tone.

"She's only going to turn eighteen once," Alice appeared in front of Rosalie, "It's a big human milestone and very important! Besides, it gives Esme an excuse to use the kitchen and we never get to celebrate and Bella will have fun! Trust me."

Rosalie rolled her eyes dramatically and stomped forward to place the stack of plates on the present table, where Bella's cake would go.

Again, realistically, they would only need two plates, but Jasper supposed it was all for this 'Special, Important Human Experience' that Alice kept talking about.

His pretend twin had returned from her summer in Africa a couple weeks ago. She had spent the summer months there on her own and returned with stories to tell. Obviously, she was bitter that Emmett hadn't gotten together with her like they had planned, but Jasper knew that she understood. At least, to some extent.

"Thank you for helping out," Alice said sincerely, "I appreciate it, Rose," she smiled gently.

"Mhm," Rosalie hummed, tossing her hair, "So appreciative, that I can't even be in my own house!"

Here we go…

"You can be in the house," Carlisle interjected, leaving Esme's side to speak to Rosalie, "But—Rose," he sighed sadly, "Rose, we've _talked_ about this."

Jasper nodded, silently adding his two cents. It was not wise to have Rosalie around Kit. Whether Rosalie wanted to admit it to herself or not, she had been very, very cruel to Kit and it didn't help her case that Kit had taken the pills the same day Rosalie had confronted her outside the school bathroom.

But nobody liked to think about that.

Rosalie growled loudly and flashed upstairs, slamming her room door so hard, Jasper heard the wood crack.

Carlisle simply shook his head and Emmett rolled his eyes.

Jasper knew—could feel that Emmett and Rosalie's relationship would never be the same. Even, if one day she got the opportunity to apologize to Kit, the damage had been inflicted and it was something that Emmett was never going to forget or forgive Rosalie for, no matter how easy going and forgiving he was. When it came to his mate, none of that mattered.

"Focus, people," Alice said, breaking the tension with her bubbly demeanor, "Emmett, you're going to get Kit at 6:30PM, yes?"

"Yeah," Emmett nodded, "She's still coming, right?"

"I—" Alice's eyes went blank and a knit formed between her brow, "I…yes!" she gasped, "Yes, I'm pretty sure."

Jasper smiled, soaking up Emmett's giddiness. Pretty sure was a whole lot better than Alice not ever being able to see Kit. It was blurry, occasionally flashes, but it was something.

It meant that Kit had a future.

"Great," Emmett was grinning from ear to ear, "6:30 it is, then."

"Great," Alice parroted, then clapped her hands, "Okay, back to work, everyone!"

* * *

Kit spat into the sink, trying not to gag. She shuddered, then straightened up, going to reclaim her seat on the closed toilet as she stuck her toothbrush back into her mouth.

This was the fifth time she had brushed her teeth and to her, it didn't appear to be helping.

She glanced at the mouthwash, waiting for her on the bathroom sink. That would probably help, but she wanted to make sure.

" _Kit_?" there was a knock on the door. Her father, " _Are you okay_?"

"Mmphmm," she hummed through her toothbrush.

Blake didn't hear her and she rolled her eyes, sighing through the foam of toothpaste when her dad opened the door.

At first, he looked worried and a little scared, but that quickly morphed into a look that resembled pity.

"You're still brushing your teeth?" he asked and Kit nodded, "Kit, Emmett's going to be here in twenty minutes. Come on, spit."

Clamping her mouth around her toothbrush, Kit accepted her father's hand and let him pull her to her feet. She was steadied with a hand on her waist and led to the sink.

"Spit," he said again, cranking on the tap.

Kit did as she was told and spat into the sink. With her dad keeping her in place, she was able to lean down and stick her mouth under the faucet, rinsing the toothpaste out of her mouth.

When she was finished, she straightened up and her dad had handed her a paper towel. She wiped her mouth off and reached for the mouthwash.

"M'not going to the stupid party," she grumbled. Her face screwed up as she tried to remove the top with one hand.

"Why not?" Blake asked, "You look so cute."

Kit flicked her eyebrows up. So cute? She wore black leggings and one of Carlisle's old button-up shirts. It was peach colored and her mom had tied it in front to keep it from looking too baggy. On her feet, she wore a pair of her mom's shoes. A simple pair of black slip-on sneakers.

When she finally got the cap off, she placed it on the sink and gently tipped the bottle, pouring a generous amount of mouthwash into the little cup. Her hand shook while she did so.

Before she tossed it back, she said, "My mouth tastes gross."

She winced, the mouthwash burning as she swished it around. After awhile, she spat it out, the minty, cool aftermath made her cough.

She buried her coughs in the crook of her arm and cleared her throat to recover her breath.

"Look, Kit," Blake said, "If you just brushed your teeth, I think you'll be fine."

"No, my breath!" Kit complained.

"You're breath doesn't smell bad. You just used half of the mouthwash."

Kit was beginning to stress and ran her hand through her ponytail, "It won't last forever."

"That's okay," Blake quipped, "It's not like you're planning on kissing anyone."

Kit knew that her father was trying to make her laugh by cracking jokes, but it didn't help and she felt herself starting to tear up. What if she did plan on kissing someone? Then what?

"It's gross," she whimpered, rubbing her eye.

"Kit Kat," Blake's hand that was still on her back, and began to rub soothing circles, "It's not gross—okay, well, yes, being sick and having symptoms and side affects—sometimes, it can be gross, but honey…" he sighed, "It's just something we have to learn to live with. I know it sucks and I wish I could fix it for you, but I can't."

This did not help Kit in making herself feel better. She didn't want to learn to live with it. How was she supposed to talk or hug anyone or kiss anyone when her breath smelled like this? Why would anyone want to be around her?

"You can keep the Listerine mint strips and use those," Blake suggested, "You used to carry them around all the time. You're supposed to be carrying a purse, anyway."

Kit didn't respond. She was supposed to be carrying a bag or purse with a few things in it. She knew her glucose monitor was in there as well as some candy, but she couldn't remember what else.

"Go to the party, have fun," Blake said gently, "Jackson and Alexandra have no problem with your breath or anything else. If they can accept it, then so can the Cullens. If not, then they're people that shouldn't be in your life. I know it's still hard, but it's okay to put yourself first, even if it's painful."

She took a moment to process her father's words, then nodded and quickly wiped away the tears that had yet to fall.

"You sound like my therapist," she accused through her clogged voice.

Her father laughed, "Yes. Well, I've been given a few pointers."

She looked at herself in the mirror, turning her face left, then right. The bags under her eyes looked particularly darker than usual and her lips looked dry. She thought her hair looked okay pulled back in its ponytail. Her mom had placed a wide black fabric headband in her hair, laying down any frizz or stray hairs.

It was only a medicine cabinet mirror, so, she was unable to see her stomach or her thighs.

"Okay, that's enough."

Blake's voice was gentle, but his hands were firm as he pulled her away from the mirror and into the hallway.

She took slow steps, looking down to make sure she didn't trip or drag her left foot too much. She had to pick it up, just like she did with her right foot.

"Go to the party," he said again, in a much lighter tone, "You'll have fun and once you get into the swing of it and start laughing, you'll forget about your breath."

"I guess," was all she said to that, placing her hand on her father's shoulder to steady herself.

"Let's go downstairs," Blake prompted and Kit's face turned passive, "Indi's down there with your mom and Sparkles cooking. Come on, I don't want you holed up in your room."

She wanted to protest, but her father was leading her towards the stairs, making her exhale softly.

"I could sleep until Emmett gets here," she wheedled, glancing towards her room, "I'm still kinda tired."

"You'll wake up when you eat something," he retorted, "You haven't eaten much, today."

"But I'm not hungry."

"That's not acceptable."

Kit suppressed a mournful sigh as Blake's arm came to wrap tight around her waist, his other hand gripping her shoulder while she held on tightly to the banister with her good hand.

"I just brushed my teeth," she muttered under her breath, "Nobody eats after they brush their teeth."

"Focus, Kit," Blake said firmly, "Step down. Step, step."

In Kit's opinion, going downstairs was harder than upstairs. It scared her more than upstairs. When she went upstairs, she got really tired and sometimes, felt sick, but she never had to worry about falling.

She paused on the fourth step from the bottom, wobbling where she stood.

"It's okay," her father was quick to say, "We're almost there."

Kit closed her eyes for only a brief second before she prepared to take another step. She absolutely loathed it when her father spoke to her like that. She knew he was trying to sound soothing, but it didn't sound like that.

' _I'm not a baby_ ,' she thought bitterly, ' _He doesn't even talk to Indi like tha_ _t_ _anymore_.'

When she and her father made it successfully down the steps, Blake took her right hand that had clutched the banister only second ago.

She repeated, "I just brushed my teeth."

"Some juice, then, at least," Blake suggested, but again, it didn't sound like one.

Despite her resentful thoughts, she panicked a little when she felt her father's hands begin to release her. Her kidney was bugging her and she felt a little breathless or maybe the breathlessness was anxiety. Either way, she didn't want her father to let go.

"No," she mumbled, "Not yet."

"You can do—

"No!" she hadn't meant to be so loud, "Daddy."

"Okay, okay," Blake said, "I'm not going to let go."

They began to walk towards the island where Everly and Indigo were bustling about, cooking dinner while Sparkles wagged his tail and nipped at their heels.

"Sparkles, quit it!" Everly scolded, "This isn't for you."

"No, Sparkles!" Indigo scolded her pup, "Bad dog, no chicken for you!"

Kit exhaled softly, irritated. Great. She had one moment of panic and now, there was going to be a whole conversation about whether or not they needed to start carrying her walker back up and down the stairs. She hoped that she wouldn't have to use it full time again.

"Hey, honey," Everly greeted with a smile, "Are you hungry?"

"We're making dinner!" Indigo chimed as if Kit couldn't see that, "We're making chicken, but there's salad, too. Want some?"

Kit gripped the island with her right hand, leaning heavily against it for balance while Blake ran to get her a chair from the dining room table.

"No thank you," Kit declined with a smile, "I'm not hungry."

"You don't want to eat before Emmett comes?" Everly asked, stirring something in a pot.

"I can get you juice," Indigo offered, shooing Sparkles away, "Sparkles, sit!"

The dog complied and Kit bit her lip. Indigo was always offering to do stuff like that and it bothered her, but she wasn't going to say that.

"I'm okay, right now," she said, "Thanks, sweetheart."

"Here, Kit Kat," Blake came up behind her and set the chair down, "Sit down and rest while I get you some juice."

"Hey!" Indigo cried, "I said that and you said no," she scowled at Kit who found it adorable.

Kit opened her mouth, but she was unable to think of anything to say. She sat down, watching her parents and Indigo do what they needed to do in the kitchen. Even her father, who was supposed to be getting juice, handed Everly the sour cream when she asked.

' _I should be helping_ ,' she thought sadly, resting her elbow on the island.

She scrunched up her nose when Blake placed a cup of orange juice in front of her. He had poured it in one of the really small cups. She hated those cups…

"Thank you," she said, picking up the cup.

"Are you excited for the birthday party?" Everly asked hopefully. She had taken what she had been stirring off the stove.

"I guess, Kit mumbled. She took a small sip from the cup.

"I bet Bella will love her present," Everly continued optimistically, "Do you remember where I put it?" she looked at Kit expectantly.

Kit looked behind her, then twisted back around. She couldn't recall her mother ever having the present and Kit hadn't brought it downstairs with her, but maybe she had.

She looked back at her mother and shook her head, then shrugged.

Everly nodded towards the front door, "It's right by the door, you can't miss it."

"Okay," Kit said, "Thanks, mom."

"Drink more of your juice," Everly pointed to the cup, "All of it. Small sips, okay?"

Exhaling, Kit flicked her eyebrows up, bringing the cup to her lips. She was very aware that if she took too big of a drink, she could choke. She knew she was forgetful, but she hated being reminded of things like that. It was embarrassing.

Her father joined in helping Indigo and Everly prepare dinner and Kit watched, envious and a little sad. She was sure there was something she could have done.

' _Soon_ ,' she thought, clearing her throat, ' _I'll be able to help soon_. _Hopefully_ , _next month or something_.'

She finished off the last of her juice when there was a knock at the door.

"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!" Sparkles took off and got to the door first, jumping up and down eagerly.

Indigo was giggling, but Kit could see that her mother wasn't amused. Sparkles was a hyper little thing. He was like Indigo, but in dog form.

"I'll get the door," Everly offered, wiping her hands on a paper towel, "Blake, help Kit, please."

Kit scrunched up her nose, "I can get down fine," she said, holding onto the island while she turned around and scooted to the edge of the chair.

"Are you gonna be gone all night?" Indigo asked, "Is it a slumber party?"

"No!" Blake said before Kit could open her mouth, "No slumber party."

"Daddy, oh my gosh," Kit managed to stand and released the counter to hold her father's shoulder, "Please be nice."

"I am nice," Blake defended himself quietly.

Kit said nothing in return and remained silent as her father helped her to the door where Emmett stood, conversing with her mother.

' _I hope I look okay_ ,' she thought anxiously, but lit up when she saw Emmett.

He looked nice. Dressed in black slacks and a dark gray button-up. Dark colors suited him.

' _All colors suit him_ , _really_ ,' Kit could feel pink color her cheeks and she couldn't hold back the smile that broke out on her face, when Emmett pulled her into a hug. Her heart stuttered in her chest.

"Hey, babe," he mumbled into her hair, rocking her slightly.

Kit giggled into his chest. She moved, trying to shake off her dad's hand, but he didn't move. Emmett would never let her fall and she was nothing but steady in his broad arms.

"Hi," she replied, slowly releasing him, letting her right arm drop down to her side.

"So," Blake cleared his throat loudly, "How long will the party last?"

"Not long," Emmett promised, "It should only be a couple hours. Three tops. Bella's not much for parties," he grinned.

Kit widened her eyes at Blake, trying to send him a look when he didn't smile back.

"I see," Blake said curtly, "A couple hours? Maybe three? That's kind of late—

"But fine," Everly interrupted, "Perfectly fine."

"I didn't think the party would be that long," Blake argued, "It's a school night and she has di—

"Well, the _school_ will make an _exception_ ," Everly said through her teeth, glaring at her husband and Kit turned her head to stifle a giggle.

Blake sighed loudly through his nose and this time, Kit did giggle, a soft sound. It did worry her a bit, though. She had night meds to take.

"Go, get going," Everly shooed them off towards the door, "And don't forget the present. Oh, here, Emmett, you take it," she handed him the bag, "Bye, Kit. I love you."

"I love you too, mom. Love you, daddy," Kit said, "Bye, Indi!" she called, "Goodnight."

"Bye, Kit!" Indigo called from the kitchen, "Bye, Emmy!"

"See ya', kiddo," Emmett beamed at her, "Goodbye, Everly, bye, Blake. Thank you."

"Have fun," Everly said, "Be careful and call if you need anything."

"We will," Emmett promised and Kit took a small step forward, trying to make it one step out the door.

"Bye," she said again, "Don't wait up."

"We will be," Blake mumbled, but Kit pretended she hadn't heard.

* * *

Emmett had come alone this time and Kit occupied the passenger seat, Emmett beside her in the driver's seat.

At first, Kit had felt awkward—she was always awkward and that was one thing that hadn't changed about her, but she felt a lot better when Emmett released one hand off the steering wheel and took her hand in his.

She smiled, elated by this.

His skin was so cold, colder than ice and if she held onto him for too long, she got a little chilly, but she could tolerate it.

"Want to know what I got Bella for her birthday?" Emmett asked excitedly, grinning.

Kit nodded. She couldn't remember what she had gotten Bella, but still, she was hoping the brunette liked it.

"I chipped in and we got her a new stereo for her truck," he said, "She's gonna love it!"

Kit's eyes widened, "Really? Oh my gosh, that's so nice!"

"Well, it is her eighteenth," Emmett shrugged, "Apparently, that's a big thing for you guys."

An odd feeling crept through Kit's skin. Emmett's statement threw her off for some reason, but before she could dwell on the feeling and sort out her thoughts, he pulled up to the house. That's right, they all lived much closer, now.

Kit was in awe at the decorations. Bright light shone from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers—pink roses—lined the wide stairs up to the front doors.

The house was so beautiful and big. It was like a castle.

She startled when she heard a clicking sound and she looked over to see Emmett staring at her with quite the amusement on his face. He was smiling, showing off his dimples and had unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His eyes shone with worry.

"Yes," she nodded and looked at the house again, "Um, well—I…I…came here often?" she looked back at him and he shrugged.

"Not often," he said with forced ease, "A few times."

"Oh," was all she said, "Okay—ahh!"

She let out a startled yelp when her door was yanked open. An excited, high-pitched voice began speaking before she recovered.

"I don't know why you guys always do this, you're taking forever!" Alice complained, "You and Emmett still need to change, we don't have that much time until Edward brings Bella by…"

She was talking way too fast and Kit couldn't keep up. It made her uneasy and she squirmed in her seat, biting her lip amongst the onslaught of panic she felt. She kind of wanted to cry because she felt so lost—she felt like an idiot. Alice and Emmett had these perfect brains that could remember everything and she could barely remember what she had for breakfast the day before.

Suddenly, Alice came to a complete stop and she smiled a wide, tight smile.

"Anyway, I can't wait for you to see everything," she said, much slower, "See you inside!"

Kit blinked and Alice was gone. She took a breath and rubbed at her eyes, releasing her lip from her teeth.

"Jasper was giving her a hard time," Emmett lightly tapped her shoulder, making her look at him, "She needs to relax. You wouldn't believe how crazy she gets when she organizes a party."

"I guess," Kit whispered. She took a deep breath. This wasn't about her and she wasn't going to have a meltdown. She was fine and she was normal. Nobody would want to be her friend if she was having these crying fits and anxiety attacks over stupid things like someone talking too fast. Who did that? Plenty of people talked too fast.

' _I don't want to be too much to handle_ ,' she scolded herself, ' _And it's Bella's birthday_.'

She fixed a smile on her face and grinned at Emmett, "Can we go in now?" she asked, "I want to see the rest of the decorations!"

"Yeah, we can go in!" Emmett opened his door, "I'll get the present, for you."

"Thanks," Kit said and had barely gotten the word out before Emmett was opening her door.

He held out a hand for her, her gift tucked underneath his other arm. He was flashing brilliant teeth in a wide grin and he looked so happy.

Shyly, she lowered her gaze and she turned herself until she sat sideways, her legs dangling out of the car.

She accepted his hand and let him pull her slowly to her feet. He let go of her hand and in a flash, his arm was around her waist, pulling her firm against his side to keep her steady.

"All right?" he asked her, shutting the door with his free hand.

Kit tilted her head back and nodded. Without her heels, he was much, much taller than her and she had to crane her neck all the way up just to look into his bright gold eyes.

"Let's go inside, then," he murmured.

Walking with Emmett was a lot different than when she walked with her parents or Carlisle. With them, it was practiced and easy, but with Emmett—

She didn't want to get into that, right now. This was supposed to be a fun and happy time and she would have time later to gather her thoughts. Her next session with Rachel was in two days and she hoped that she would remember to tell her about this.

When they made it inside, Kit looked around the huge white living room.

Covering every flat surface were pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses.

There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to a grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates, and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

In front of her, Alice appeared again.

"What do you think?" Alice asked, watching Kit take it all in.

"It's really pretty," Kit replied honestly.

"Really?" Alice bounced on her toes, "And you think Bella will like it?"

Kit nodded and Alice grinned, her teeth sparkling under the bright lights. She looked like a fairy, dressed in a purple silk dress and black ballet flats. It looked great against her pale skin and clung to her tiny frame.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Alice hugged her gently and Kit wrapped her arm around Alice.

"Thanks for inviting me," she said and Emmett left her side to place her present on the table.

"Hello, sweetheart," Carlisle greeted her with a very warm smile and a light kiss on her forehead, "It's good to see you."

"It is," Esme chimed, hugging Kit gently. She smelled nice, just like the others and her soft caramel hair brushed Kit's cheek when Esme kissed it.

Still in Esme's arm, Kit felt Emmett's hand on her back. She pulled away from the hug, leaning heavily against him.

"Do you need anything?" Esme asked.

"Oh, um, no," Kit declined politely, "No thank you."

In the next second, Jasper was next to Alice, his arm thrown around her shoulder, an easy smile on his face.

"I finished with the other lanterns," he said, then greeted Kit, "Hey, sugar."

"Hi," Kit smiled, feeling more at ease. Jasper had always been so kind to her.

"You'll need to change," Alice informed Kit, "We're all going to wear purple. Emmett, you need to change too."

"Right," Emmett said, but he didn't move.

"Oh," Kit looked down at herself, feeling very under dressed, "I didn't—

"I have something for you upstairs, don't worry," Alice beamed, "And you finally get to see my room!"

"Our room," Jasper interjected, but no one acknowledged him.

"Come on!"

In her haste and excitement, Alice had grabbed Kit's right wrist and pulled her out of Emmett's hold. Gentle, but it was not practiced.

A loud gasp left Kit's mouth. Without the extra support, she stumbled dangerously, her head spinning. If not for Alice's quick reflexes, she would have fallen.

Faintly, she could hear cries of "Alice!" all in different tones. Esme, Carlisle and Emmett all rushed to help her, but she needed a moment to gather her wits.

She clung to Alice tightly and pressed her lips together, an automatic reflex. Her stomach felt tight and she feared she would vomit all over the floor. Something that occurred more often than she cared to admit.

' _Please_ , _no_ ,' she begged her insides to cooperate and if possible, held onto Alice even tighter. Cold hands gripped the tops of her arm and pressed against her back, keeping her grounded.

"It's fine, M'fine," she breathed.

"I'm _so_ sorry, Kit," Alice said, her eyes wide, "I really didn't know…"

"It's fine," Kit promised. She kept her grip on Alice, "M'fine."

"Alice," still with her reassurance, Carlisle scolded Alice with a frown, "Be careful with your sister."

Before Kit could defend Alice or apologize, Esme was fretting over her.

"Are you okay, Kit?" Esme asked worriedly. She had let go, but kept her hands fluttering as if she was scared to touch her.

"M'fine," Kit said again, nodding. She put more confidence into her mousy voice, "I just tripped."

"Are you sure you're not dizzy?" Emmett asked and Kit could feel herself start to become irritated, "You don't feel sick?"

She tried to not let it show and nodded again, glancing down.

"I tripped," she said again, "M'fine," in truth, she did feel better.

"Very well," Carlisle said after a long moment of silence, "Why don't you bring the clothes downstairs, Alice?" he suggested lightly, "There's a bathroom down here."

Kit bit her lip. Upstairs was fine, but she didn't want to say that. She had caused enough trouble in the five minutes she had been here.

Alice pouted at Carlisle, "Well, I can carry her upstairs. It's more comfortable in my room."

Kit was starting to feel anxious. If she was honest, she would probably be more comfortable in Alice's room than the bathroom.

But, again, why should she feel anxious? Everything was going to get figured out and would probably be fine. Who cared where she got dressed as long as she got dressed? Gosh, why had she been so anxious in the first place? She was excited for Bella's party!

"God, Jazz, pull it back a bit," Emmett's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Sorry."

"Hmm?" Kit blinked, looking up at Emmett, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Emmett wore a cool smile.

"Oh," she blinked again and looked down at her shoes, "Um, I mean…I can walk upstairs…"

"She can walk upstairs," Alice repeated to Carlisle, "Well, no, it's okay," she muttered to herself, "I'll just—"

All Kit knew, was that she had been standing there with everyone and then she felt cold all over, then a slight breeze. Her head felt funny again and then it all went away.

"There," Alice said cheerfully, "Isn't that better? You'll be more comfortable in here. This is my bathroom."

Kit blinked a few times. It took a moment for her head to clear and when it did, she looked around. The bathroom was bedroom-sized and she sat in a low pink chair in front of a vanity. She couldn't count the amount of products and tools littering the long counter.

"Thanks," she murmured to Alice, "It's nice."

"Isn't it?" Alice beamed, "Get dressed first," she instructed, "And then I'll do your hair."

Kit began to feel that familiar feeling of panic and she couldn't recall if her mom had given Emmett the Ativan. She might need it. She didn't know what to do and started to feel like an idiot just sitting there.

How was she supposed to tell Alice that she couldn't get dressed by herself?

And even if she could get dressed by herself—her heart began to speed up just thinking about it.

' _What do I do_?' she felt like she might start crying and desperately wished her mom or dad were there. She felt alone.

"Everything all right in here?"

Kit startled, jumping in her chair and she turned her head towards the door and saw Esme standing there with a warm smile on her face.

Seeing her, Kit felt a lot better, but she still couldn't figure out how to ask for help.

"I forgot some things," Alice said, "Will you stay with Kit?"

"Of course," Esme said immediately, "Go ahead."

Alice had lied, even Kit was aware of the fact, but she greatly appreciated it. She didn't want to be mean, but she felt more at ease with Esme in the room.

Esme shut the door with a soft click, "Would you like some help getting dressed?"

She had asked this so kindly, it warmed Kit's heart. She remembered speaking to Esme on the phone a couple of times and Esme had always wished her well and sent her love.

Still unable to find her words, Kit nodded slowly. With her right hand, she began to take her time and slowly pop the buttons on her shirt. That was the easy part as the shirt was so big on her, she managed to shimmy out of it until she was free, sitting there in a black tank top and her leggings.

"Look how pretty this dress is," Esme said to Kit, "It's such a nice color."

Kit spun around in the chair, trying to keep her left arm hidden.

The garment was dark purple with a strapless bodice lining and sheer lace. It had a scoop neckline with a fit-and-flare silhouette.

' _It's been awhile_ ,' Kit thought, biting her lip. She didn't know that she would have to wear a dress. She was sure that in the bags of clothes Alice had brought her, there was a purple shirt in there somewhere.

"It's a pretty dress," she finally agreed.

Esme seemed to sense her apprehension and her face softened, "Do you want to try?"

Kit didn't want to try, not really, but at the same time…Alice had put in effort to finding clothes for her and this was supposed to be a special night for Bella.

It was only a dress.

Slowly, Kit nodded, "It's pretty," she said again, forcing more enthusiasm into her tone.

The dress was pullover style which made things a little more difficult when trying to get it on. It was hard getting her left arm through and a little painful, but Kit tried not to panic about it.

"There we are," Esme said, adjusting the dress, "And here's this."

Kit was ecstatic when she saw the plain black long-sleeved cardigan top. The sleeves of the dress were only elbow-length.

The cardigan was much easier to get on and once Esme had tied it for her, she gave Kit a pair of black ballet flats to slip onto her feet.

"Thank you," Kit said sincerely, accepting the hand Esme held out to her.

"You're welcome, honey," Esme smiled at her, turning Kit around to look at the mirror, "What do you think?"

Kit looked herself up and down. She looked okay. The dress hit at her thighs and she was glad she still got to wear her leggings. The cardigan had enough room, but she felt like the dress fit her awkwardly and was baggy in places where it shouldn't have been.

Peeking out from under the cardigan, she could see the faint outline of her collarbones.

She smiled faintly, "It's nice," she mumbled, "Thanks, Esme. Really."

An understanding silence settled between them and the cold hand on her shoulder, squeezed gently.

"You're welcome, honey," Esme whispered. She pressed a kiss to her hair, "You're very welcome. Sit tight," she lowered Kit back into the pink chair, "And Alice will come finish up, okay?"

Immediately, Alice appeared with a bright smile, her arms full of things, "I heard my name! Kit, you look great," she said, coming into the bathroom and setting things down, "And it fits perfectly, I knew it would."

The door shut with a soft click and Alice went behind Kit, pulling the hair tie from her hair.

Kit watched her hair tumble from its ponytail. She never wore it down, anymore and she didn't cut her hair, either. It had grown out from its bob and barely brushed her shoulders.

"Your hair's grown," Alice said, spritzing water into Kit's hair, "Is the water too cold?"

"It's fine," Kit closed her eyes and Alice began running a comb through her hair.

' _This isn't so bad_ ,' she thought, Despite the hardness of Alice's skin, her touch was somehow soft and gentle, ' _I might fall asleep_.'

She sighed contently, her body relaxed.

"I've really missed you, Kit," Alice said softly.

Kit's eyes fluttered open, "I missed you too. You've really outdone yourself. Everything looks great."

"Thank you!" Alice beamed with appreciation, "Are you _sure_ Bella will like it? It's not too much?"

"She'll love it," Kit promised, "Don't worry."

"Perfect," the smile remained on Alice's face, "I'm going to leave your hair down," she decided, "It frames your face so nicely."

"Okay," Kit easily agreed, "Sure."

She watched Alice work over her head. Separating strands of hair and applying a sweet smelling product from a pretty glass jar before she ran the comb through her hair again.

Her eyes fell to the many products on the counter. It looked like Alice owned an entire makeup store.

"Can I look at this?" she asked as she reached for a product. It was a tube of mascara.

"Go ahead," Alice nodded, "I love makeup. I wear it all the time, but it's hard. It falls off so easily. You know, we don't have pores or anything like that."

"Right," Kit mumbled, turning the mascara in her hand. The tube claimed to be both volumizing and lengthening.

"Sooo," Alice wheedled, her eyes shining, "I was hoping I could do your makeup."

"Oh," Kit simpered, placing the mascara back where it belonged, "Um…"

"Just a little!" Alice promised quickly, "Some concealer, powder and some blush. That's it. I won't cover your freckles."

Kit gnawed at her lower lip. It sounded like a lot and she wasn't keen on the idea, but she didn't want to be rude.

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it, looking anywhere but at Alice. She found her words stuck again.

"Um," she managed to choke out, "I-if you…want."

She tried to take a deep breath and keep herself calm. It was only makeup and how embarrassing would it be to cry over something like that? It was just a lot for her.

' _Everything is a lot for me_ ,' she thought bitterly. The stairs, getting dressed, the makeup. Heck, even breathing.

"Kit, relax," Alice pulled the comb through her hair, tugging to get her attention, "Next time."

"Okay," Kit whispered, not wanting to nod and disturb Alice's task.

With that, Alice continued her work in silence, no more words were said between them.

Kit didn't mind and closed her eyes again. It was nice having company. Just because you were with someone, it didn't mean that you had to be talking and Kit didn't like to do too much talking, these days.

"All finis—oh," Alice suddenly gasped and Kit turned to look at her, worried, but Alice was smiling.

"Oh, good!" Alice grinned, "Bella and Edward are here."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hellooooo all my lovely readers! I know, I know, it's been SO long, but I've been extremely busy, I haven't had the time to sit down and write until recently and it's a shock that it's been five months.**

 **Anyway, I'm back and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and more peeks into Kit's anxious mind. Don't forget to review and hopefully, I'll see you soon.**

 **x FictionChic**


	6. Author's Note (Sorry, Not An Update)

**Hey, guys,**

 **Long time no update (I'm sorry this is not another chapter). In a few months, it'll be a whole year since I've updated this story. Let me start by saying this: This story is _NOT_ going anywhere. I'm not discontinuing it, I'm not deleting it and I will never give up on this piece. I think about my character and my story everyday-I write little notes down to add to the plot here and there and am constantly thinking of new ways to continue my story. Recently, I've even been thinking about how to rework 'The Meaning Behind Special' and how I could bring back Prim and a much better and bigger retelling.**

 **However, through all of that, real life is annoyingly a thing and unfortunately, writing for FanFiction isn't sustainable and not something that I can make a living off of. I don't have as much time to write anymore as I did a year ago-where I was updating constantly and sending up to three chapters to my Beta Reader at one time. Even in my spare time, I have responsibilities to do and rarely have time to turn on my computer as much as I'd like to.**

 **I just wanted to come on here and give a small update/reassure you all that this story-that I'm not going anywhere. Sure, it might be awhile until another update comes through, but it will happen, I promise.**

 **Thank you,**

 **FictionChic**


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